US Preparing for Expansion of Gaza Conflict: What if ‘Houthis’ Sank A Ship?!

By Staff, Agencies  

The White House is worried that the conflict in Gaza could expand to other parts of the Middle East and is drawing up plans for a possible US response if that happens, Politico has reported, citing informed officials.

Internal discussions are underway in the administration of US President Joe Biden about scenarios that could see Washington drawn into a major war in the region, the outlet said.

“The potential for a wider conflict in the Middle East is growing,” said sources including a senior Biden administration official.

The events of the past few days “have convinced some in the administration that the war in Gaza has officially escalated far beyond the strip’s borders,” Politico wrote.

According to the officials, the US military is drafting plans to strike back at Ansarullah fighters, who have been targeting commercial ships off Yemen’s coast in response to the attacks on Gaza by “Israel”.

“From our perspective, the most worrying thing is that the Houthis might sink a ship. Then what happens?” one of the sources said.

The intelligence community is trying to find ways of anticipating and resisting the attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria by local militias. It’s also working to determine whether the Houthis would carry out similar strikes, the report read.

Such contingency planning is routine amid heightened tension in the Middle East, officials said. But this activity has intensified this week on orders from the top echelons of the administration “over fears that the violence in the region will only continue to grow and that Washington will eventually have to intervene,” they explained.