The West's options to counter Houthi attacks in Red Sea are limited, according to experts

As tensions rise on the fastest and least costly maritime shipping route between Asia and Europe, experts assert that the options for the West to respond to the Houthi rebels' attacks in the Red Sea are limited, and a military option against the Houthis in Yemen may not yield the desired results. 

Following the deployment of American, British, and French warships in the region, the United States hastily formed a naval alliance involving more than 20 countries to protect maritime traffic. Western nations intensified their warnings to the Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, without specifying the nature of their potential actions. 

Thomas Juneau, associate professor at the University of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, considers the naval alliance as "the best of bad options at this stage." 

Gerald Feierstein, Director of the Arabian Peninsula Affairs Department at the Middle East Institute, believes that "the best option is to continue defensive operations... until the conflict in Gaza is resolved." 

According to the Pentagon, US and British forces shot down 18 explosive-laden drones, two cruise missiles, and a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis on Tuesday evening, an attack that Britain deemed the "largest" carried out by the rebels in the region. The most intense clash with the Houthis on December 31 resulted in the sinking of three Houthi boats and the killing of their crews by the US military after they attacked a ship. 

Over the past seven weeks, the Houthis have conducted more than 25 targeting operations against commercial ships suspected to be linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. These incidents occurred near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, in solidarity with Gaza, which has been in conflict with Israel since October 7. 

Houthi attacks obstruct maritime traffic in the Red Sea, through which 12 percent of global trade passes, according to the International Chamber of Shipping. The attacks have led to a doubling of transportation costs, as at least 18 shipping companies changed the routes of their ships around South Africa, according to the United Nations. 

AFP