The drone attack on the petroleum tankers in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, in which three workers, including two Indians, were killed and the counter-attack by Saudi Arabia on the Yemeni rebels mark the escalation of tension in the Persian Gulf Region. Nobody knows for sure how the developments will eventually end. At stake is peace in the region, without which there can be no stability in the international oil market. If the present tensions grow and other nations are sucked into it, the situation could even lead to a war-like situation. That is what causes worry to the people at large. It is almost clear that the drone attack was the handiwork of the Houthi rebels, who control vast swathes of land in Yemen. They enjoy the support of Iran which wants to emerge as the dominant player in the region, now that its traditional rival Iraq does not command much influence thanks to the Gulf War that debilitated it.
The condition of Yemen is the worst in the world. Millions of its people have either lost their lives or have been uprooted from their native places. The tragedy is that there is no end to their misery as the civil war that began in 2014 when Houthi insurgents—Shiite rebels with links to Iran and a history of rising up against the Sunni government—took control of Yemen’s capital and the largest city, Sana’a, demanding lower fuel prices and a new government. Saudi Arabia would like the US to supportits demand for declaring the Houthi rebels as terrorists. The US, under President Joe Biden, has been cautious to the point of neutrality. Unfortunately, such developments tend to end in conflicts, forcing the US and other nations to intervene. The casualty will be peace in the region and, therefore, in the world.
