Elisabeth Kendall, Yemen and Middle East expert, Girton College, University of Cambridge, says:
“Of course the reason behind the strikes by the United States and the UK is to try to disengage the Houthis from wreaking havoc in the Red Sea. So the whole point is to try to tamp down the conflict there, and to ease the burden of fear on the shipping industry and therefore the knock-on effects that that has on our economies. The problem now is that actual effect it may have on the region is to make things even worse. And the reason I say that is that the Houthis are no strangers to air strikes. They have been in a civil war in Yemen now for nine years. They have suffered more than 25,000 air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition and it didn’t deter them. So, I think looking ahead we might stand to see even more conflict start to erupt in this Red Sea region.”