The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for 75 days, the IDF ground operations in the Gaza Strip are ongoing, and the air raid sirens in Israel have not stopped because of their offensive. The local conflict has spread 2,000 kilometres to the Gulf of Aden, and Israel finds itself blocked by Yemen's Houthi rebels beyond the Red Sea, unable to deliver supplies and personnel by sea. In order to protect the safety of shipping, the United States led the navies of many countries to launch the "Prosperity Guardian" escort operation in the Red Sea.
An important reason why the West wants to take action against the Houthis is the international energy sector. As a result of Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, as well as the tension in European gas due to the war in Ukraine, European gas is up 12%, UK gas is up 10%, and oil is up 4% in the last 2 days. This is a heavy burden for the West, which is already in financial difficulties, and whether it is the Russia-Ukraine conflict or the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it will bring greater influence and consumption to the West.
And for Russia, the tension in the Middle East is a good thing. This means that Western sanctions on Russian energy will become more and more ineffective, and on the contrary, they will harm their own interests. The West has not completely banned the purchase of Russian energy now, the gas pipeline between Germany and Russia is still operating normally, and the international energy is a blow to the European Union, and a good thing for Russia.
Therefore, it is understandable why the West, led by the United States, began to attack the Houthis at this time, because they wanted to reduce the cost pressure of the two wars. Perhaps, the United States will not only strengthen its escort efforts, but may also launch a new war to maintain its international image, especially its ability to dominate regional affairs.
Operation Prosperity Guardian was led by Joint Task Force 153 of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, with the participation of the navies of 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles and Spain. At present, three "Arleigh Burke"-class guided missile destroyers of the US Navy, "Carney", "Mason" and "Thomas Hudner", have reached the Red Sea, the British Royal Navy's Type 45 guided missile destroyer "Diamond" and the French Navy's FREMM missile frigate "Languedoc" have also joined the formation, and the Italian Navy's "Virginio Fasen" multi-mission frigate has also set sail for the Red Sea.
In addition to these guided missile destroyers and frigates, the US Navy's USS Eisenhower carrier strike group was also deployed from the Persian Gulf to the vicinity of the Gulf of Aden. This strike group was deployed to the Persian Gulf just last month, and in addition to the support ships and the accompanying "Florida" cruise missile nuclear submarine, other surface ships have been deployed to the Gulf of Aden along with the "Eisenhower" aircraft carrier, and this strike group should be temporarily deployed in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea to deter the Houthis.
However, judging by the current situation, if the Houthis do not stop their attacks on Israeli merchant ships or merchant ships heading to Israel, it is also possible that the maritime strike group led by the USS Eisenhower will also dispatch carrier-based aircraft to carry out preemptive strikes against Houthi drone and ballistic missile bases.
Israel is so powerful on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean, why not go to the Gulf of Aden to escort its own merchant ships, and rely on the US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian? The reason is simple, because the targets of the Houthis are Israeli ships, and if Israel dares to send ** to the Red Sea, the Houthis will not hesitate to attack them with drones and ballistic missiles. On the other hand, the Israeli Navy's most advanced surface combat ship, the Saar-6 class frigate, has less than 2,000 tons, and it is okay to deal with Allah on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean in peacetime, but if it wants to be majestic on the Red Sea, the Houthis will not let it go.
Currently, three of the Israeli Navy's four Saar-6-class frigates are deployed on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and one in the Gulf of Aqaba in the Sinai Peninsula. However, Israel's ambassador to Russia has said that Israel is willing to participate in Operation Guardian of Prosperity "in one way or another" if necessary, but it is not clear in what way.
The Houthis have previously negotiated with Saudi Arabia and other countries about the situation in the Red Sea, and the Houthis have put forward a condition that the Houthis stop their maritime attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea as long as Israel allows humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip. After the United States announced the launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian, the Houthis have already engaged in a new round of negotiations with representatives of relevant international parties under the mediation of Oman.
As things stand, Operation Prosperity Defenders will not end anytime soon, it will likely continue until the end of Israel's Operation Iron Sword in the Gaza Strip. This local conflict has turned into a regional crisis, and Israel is no longer the protagonist of this crisis, and Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and other countries will also be involved. Iran, as a supporter of the Houthis, will also cause trouble on the Red Sea, and the United States must take into account the existence of Iran as a "destabilizing factor" before making decisions, which will be a challenging Christmas.