Middle East conflict expands with new front and shipping lane tensions

Middle Eastern outlets focus on both the heavy US military buildup and the diplomatic push by regional states meeting in Islamabad. They stress that Houthi attacks and the threat to two key shipping lanes are hurting local economies and oil exporters while also pulling in outside powers. Regional reporting expects more pressure on both the US and Iran-linked groups to accept mediation, but warns that each new deployment makes compromise harder.

• •Thousands of newly arrived US paratroopers and Marines are seen as preparation for a possible ground campaign in parts of the Middle East.
• •Regional governments are using talks in Islamabad to try to limit fighting and protect trade routes.
• •Houthi strikes on shipping are damaging Gulf and Red Sea economies that rely on safe sea trade.
• •The UK decision to send more troops and air defenses shows European states are now directly involved in the conflict’s military side.
• •Every additional foreign deployment increases public pressure in the region for a negotiated halt to cross-border attacks.