UN Security Council to vote on a resolution demanding Houthi rebels stop attacks on Red Sea shipping
The Hindu
The U.N. Security Council is set to vote on a resolution to demand Yemen’s Houthi rebels to halt attacks by on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea area
The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to vote on a resolution that would condemn and demand an immediate halt to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea area on January 10.
The U.S. draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, says at least two dozen Houthi attacks are impeding global commerce “and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security.”
The Iranian-backed Houthis, who have been engaged in a civil war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government since 2014, have said they launched the attacks intending to end Israel’s devastating air-and-ground offensive in the Gaza Strip.
It was triggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas’ October 7 attack in southern Israel which killed about 1,200 people and led to some 250 others being taken hostage. Israel’s three-month assault in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Hams-run Gaza Health Ministry which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The resolution would demand the immediate release of the first ship the Houthis attacked, the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship with links to an Israeli company that it seized on Nov. 19 along with its crew.
However, the links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue. In the latest incident, a barrage of drones and missiles fired by the Houthis late on Jan. 9 targeted shipping in the Red Sea, though the U.S. said no damage was reported.