Kuenssberg: The thorny politics of Houthi strikes for Sunak and Starmer
Kuenssberg: The thorny politics of
Houthi strikes for Sunak and
Starmer
"To wake up and find out your country has bombed another country is serious indeed".
As a former minister put it, you are not alone if you heard the headlines on the radio, or a news alert pinged on your phone saying the UK had carried out military strikes on Yemen and wondered, what on earth is going on?
So why did Prime Minister Rishi Sunak get the UK involved in the strikes on the Houthis? As so often in politics, the causes and the consequences are simple but complex too.
Here's the straightforward part.
The Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen, have been attacking ships sailing through the Red Sea.
That route carries billions of pounds worth of oil, gas, consumer goods, the "stuff" we buy and consume every day.
If it's too dangerous to make that voyage, ships literally have to go the long way round, adding days to their journeys, and cost and disruption to supply chains our economy can ill afford.
It might be thousands of miles away, but the costs would be felt right at home.
The UN had expressed serious concern over the attacks. And having made successive warnings, the US and the UK decided to strike to protect a vital trade route and uphold international law.
Serious, but simple.
Not so fast. The US and UK might say the attacks are not related to the raging conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but that's not how it's seen by the other side.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping are punishment for Israel's military offensive in Gaza, claiming any ship destined for Israel or with Israeli links is a "legitimate target", even though the Houthis have also attacked ships that have no links to Israel.
A group like the Houthis, that calls for the destruction of Israel, wants to be part of the wider war.
Add to that, the UK has, for years, supported a Saudi-led coalition bombing the Houthis in Yemen after the group took control of parts of the country from the internationally recognised government.
UK weapons have been used by the coalition, there have been thousands of civilian casualties, and the Saudis have been accused of breaching international law.
More on the US-UK strikes in Yemen
In the past couple of years there has been progress towards a settlement of sorts, but it remains one of the poorest countries in the world, broken by years of conflict, shortages of food, water, and violence.
It is well worth a look at my colleague Orla Guerin's reporting from the country in the summer.
And here is the even more complicated part.
The Houthis are allies of Iran, which has been backing them with weapons and expertise, their links growing stronger long before the latest conflict. It is Iranian drones and missiles that the Houthis are using against international shipping.
Iran, with its links to Russia and China, has long vied for influence in the Middle East region, with its bitter rival Saudi Arabia, which has links to the US and Western powers. This is not just about a few ships in the Red Sea.
For Rishi Sunak therefore, the main reason to get involved was clear, but the consequences may be much more murky.
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