By Athena Papakosta

The United States’ barrage of strikes against Houthi positions over the past five days is fueling fears that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip could widen after the U.S. crackdown failed to stop Yemeni rebel attacks on merchant ships. in the Red Sea.

The United States on Tuesday hit Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles in areas of Yemen controlled by the Shiite rebels. It was preceded by the naval missile strike against it Greek-owned ship Zografia in the Red Sea by Yemeni rebels.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking from the Davos Forum in Switzerland, assured that the United States is aiming for de-escalation, stressing, however, that how far this will continue does not depend only on Washington and/or its other members international naval coalition but by a wider group of countries with influence in Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries.

As he explained the way to avoid a wider conflict exists. “We are working with partners in the region to try to follow this path,” he said, warning, however, that in combination with the constant threats from other organizations also supported by Tehran in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, “we must we are on alert’ for the possibility of escalation.

Earlier, also from the Forum in Davos, the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, had also addressed, who emphasized that “the situation prevailing in the Middle East is a recipe for escalation everywhere” and explained that the end of the war between Israel and Hamas will prevent Yemen’s Houthi rebels from launching strikes against other areas.

The Middle East looks like a boiling cauldron and analysts note that the chances of Iran’s military involvement are increasing.

The Revolutionary Guards came to the fore by launching barrages of ballistic missiles against Iraqi Kurdistan, in the capital Erbil, and against northern Syria, in Idlib. A few hours later, it became known that Tehran launched missile attacks against two bases of the armed organization “Jaish Al-Adl” in the Pakistani part of Balochistan.

Iraq recalled its ambassador from Iran condemning Tehran’s aggression with Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani stating that Tehran respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries but at the same time uses its “legitimate and legitimate right to prevents threats to national security.” Pakistan’s reaction was also fierce, warning of consequences, characterizing the incident as absolutely unacceptable and underlining that it took place at a time when the communication channels between Islamabad and Tehran remain open.