US and UK prepare to launch strikes against Houthis in Yemen

Sidharth Kaushal, an expert from the Royal United Services Institute thinktank, said: “It depends what targets are chosen, but the Houthis have said they are not backing down, so there is the risk of sleepwalking into a protracted conflict”. Any strikes – likely to be from air and sea – would have to be enough to act as a deterrent, the analyst added, but a wider bombing campaign added to the risk of civilian casualties and could inflame public opinion in an already volatile Middle East.