UK and the Middle East

DOI: https://doi.org/10.58248/HS133

Contributors to the horizon scan identified tensions in the Middle East as relevant to Parliament.

Due to fast-moving developments and the low number of contributions to the horizon scan on this subject in early 2024, POST has not drafted a full article. Instead, this article summarises the main issues identified by contributors.

For more up-to-date information, see the House of Commons Library collection Middle East instability in 2023-25. This article will not be updated.

Issues identified by contributors included:

• The Israel–Hamas conflict. On 7 October 2023, Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing approximately 1,200 civilians and taking 253 hostages.[1] The Israel Defense Forces then entered Gaza. The conflict created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.[1]
• Houthi militia in Yemen have launched missile attacks against Israel and shipping vessels in the Red Sea. These attacks have decreased the volume of shipping transiting the Red Sea, and have negatively affected international commerce.[2] UK military forces have been involved in strikes on Houthis in Yemen in response to attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. [3]
• Iran is believed by many to be working towards developing nuclear weapons, with implications for security across the Middle East region.[4]
• The Middle East produces a third of the world’s oil, and a fifth of its natural gas. Continued or worsening volatility could have implications for the global economy, with effects felt in the UK.[5][6]
• The situation in Syria. The former government fell in 2024.[7]

Related documents

• House of Commons Library (2025), Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories: UK response to the conflict July 2024 to March 2025.
• House of Commons Library (2025), UK and international response to Houthis in the Red Sea 2024/25.
• House of Commons Library (2025), Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2025: UK and international response.
• House of Commons Library (2025), UNRWA and UK aid to the West Bank and Gaza Strip 2023-25.

References

[1] House of Commons Library (2025). Middle East instability in 2023-25.

[2] World Economic Forum (2024). Red Sea attacks: What trade experts have to say about the shipping disruptions.

[3] House of Commons Library (2025). UK and international response to Houthis in the Red Sea 2024/25.

[4] Lewis, P. (2024). World leaders must curb nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and beyond. Chatham House.

[5] Energy Institute (2024). Statistical Review of World Energy 2024.

[6] National Institute of Social and Economic Research (2023). UK Wage and Price Inflation and the Middle East Conflict.

[7] House of Commons Library (2025). Syria after Assad: Consequences and interim authorities 2025.