Middle East escalation fears spike as Houthis launch most damaging attack yet

Middle East escalation fears spike as Houthis launch most damaging attack yet

NatashaTurak

The Middle East looks set for a path of escalation on multiple fronts as Israeli forces close in on what is left of southern Gaza, and as Yemen’s Houthi rebels launch their most damaging strike yet on a ship in the Red Sea.

The crew of the British-owned, Belize-flagged bulk carrier MV Rubymar were forced to abandon ship in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, receiving help from a nearby merchant vessel and coalition warship to reach a nearby port after “two anti-ship ballistic missiles were launched from Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen,” according to U.S. Central Command.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group’s responsibility for the attack, calling it their most severe yet. The group claim to support Palestinian civilians amid Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

“The ship was severely damaged, leading to its complete halt … It is now at risk of sinking in the Gulf Aden,” Saree said Monday.

Simultaneously, fighting is raging between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip with no sign of abating despite diplomatic efforts by a number of countries. 

Israel’s government has warned of a potential ground invasion of Rafah, Gaza’s southern corner along the Egyptian border where more than 1.5 million Palestinians — the majority of whom were displaced from other parts of Gaza — are sheltering, mostly in makeshift tents with very little access to food, water and medicine.

“I think unfortunately, we need to be prepared for more escalation really on two fronts,” Charles Myers, chairman and founder of advisory firm Signum Global Advisors, told CNBC’s “Capital Connection” on Tuesday.

“The Houthis are proving to be far more effective at disrupting international maritime trade,” Myers said. 

“And the military response so far from the U.S. and the U.K. has not diminished or degraded their capability, which means we need a much larger military response from the U.S. and the U.K. in the next several days to try to take out more of these capabilities, so we need to watch that on the other side.”