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.