The US striking Houthis in Yemen benefits the Red Sea blockade, argues Quincy Institute Executive Vice President Dr Trita Parsi.
Dr Parsi’s comments come as the Albanese government are yet to fulfil their promise to “triple” Australian defence personnel in Bahrain to help combat the rapidly growing crisis.
“One of the challenges the US faces is that the Houthis don’t actually have to succeed in striking the ships,” Dr Parsi told Sky News Australia.
“By just simply shooting rockets, it’s enough to get Western vessels not to use the Red Sea because the risk is simply too high.
“So even without actually successfully striking any of these targets, the heightening of the tensions that have come as a result of the US striking the Houthis essentially makes their blockade of the Red Sea more effective.”