IN a fresh sign that the massacre in Gaza is fuelling tension elsewhere in the region, the US has announced the formation of a naval task force to stop attacks from the Yemeni Houthis targeting Israeli ships, or vessels coming from or going to the Jewish state. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the launch of this scheme — Operation Prosperity Guardian — in Bahrain, one of the members of the collective, on Tuesday. Other members include Nato countries such as the UK and France, as well as states not known for their naval prowess, such as the Seychelles. Media reports say more countries have signed up, but have requested to keep their participation quiet. On their part, the Houthis, also known as Ansarallah, say they are only targeting Israeli ships, or those vessels helping Tel Aviv, and that the attacks will stop once the butchery in Gaza is brought to a halt.

It seems that Washington is building another coalition of the willing here. While the move has ostensibly been made to protect shipping in one of the world’s most important marine trade corridors, there is also a geopolitical subtext, as the Houthis are allied with America’s arch-rival Iran, while the US has been helping the Saudis fight the Yemeni insurgents since at least 2015. Indeed, it is important to protect freedom of navigation on the high seas. But what is more important is to stop Israel’s genocidal violence against the Palestinian people. If the US is serious about protecting marine trade in the Red Sea region, it needs to support calls for a complete ceasefire in Gaza, and the provision of unrestricted humanitarian aid to Palestine’s battered Strip. Its gunboat diplomacy in the Red Sea or Gulf of Aden has high chances of backfiring. A misstep in these volatile waterways may be the spark that ignites a wider conflagration in the entire region.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2023