Panel: Are Red Sea attacks widening Gaza war?

Since November, Yemen's Houthi rebels have launched dozens of attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, claiming this campaign is in response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza. As a result, major shipping companies have suspended their routes through the Suez Canal, which handles 12% of world trade. The US has established a naval coalition named Operation Prosperity Guardian to fend off Houthis attacks. So far, however, the attacks have continued, and there is a risk of a direct confrontation between the US and the Houthis.

Does this mean the Gaza war is being widened to a Middle East conflict? Host Ding Heng is joined by Zhang Sheng, Visiting Research Fellow with Koç University in Istanbul, Turkiye; Lee Pei May, Assistant Professor of Political Science with the International Islamic University Malaysia; He Wenping, Senior Research Fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.