UNSC schedules vote on US-backed resolution demanding Houthis stop Red Sea attacks
-
Sulaiman
- . January 10, 2024
- . Update: January 10, 2024 11:26 pm
The UN Security Council has scheduled a vote on Wednesday on a US draft resolution condemning and demanding an immediate end to attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea area.
Obtained late on Tuesday by The Associated Press, the resolution stresses dozens of attacks by Yemen’s Houthis are impeding global commerce and undermining navigational rights and freedoms, in addition to regional peace and security.
Could Gaza conflict and Red Sea disruptions trigger broader regional violence?
The rebels have said the attacks are aimed at stopping Israel’s devastating offensive in the besieged Gaza Strip. But they have also been engaged in a civil war with the internationally recognised government of Yemen since 2014.
So far, the brutal Israel-Gaza conflict, triggered by an October 7 Hamas surprise attack that killed about 1,200 people and led to some 240 others being taken hostage, has claimed more than 23,000 Palestinian lives, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Keep Reading
The draft resolution is expected to demand the immediate release of the first ship the Iran-backed Houthis attacked – the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship that has links to an Israeli company. The group seized the vessel on November 19, plus its crew.
However, the links to the ships targeted in the ongoing attacks have grown more tenuous as the assault continues. In the latest incident, drones and missiles fired by the rebels on Tuesday targeted shipping in the area, though the US said no damage has been reported.
US-led coalition of nations patrolling the Red Sea
The Red Sea is a shipping route of substantial importance. But the Houthi attacks have compelled several companies to bypass the route and use the much longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope.
A US-led coalition of nations has been patrolling the Red Sea to prevent the attacks. Last week, 13 countries issued a statement calling for the immediate end to the attacks, stressing “the Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue …”
