UNSC Members Call for Houthis to Cease Attacks on Shipping in Red Sea
Members of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday called on Yemen's Houthis to halt their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they are illegal and threaten regional stability, freedom of navigation and global food supplies. Addressing the council's first formal meeting of 2024, members also demanded that the Houthis release the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship linked to an Israeli company, and its crew, which the group seized on Nov. 19. Some members urged the council to take action to halt the Houthi missile and drone attacks. But the body took no formal steps in the open session before going into closed consultations.
The United Kingdom has sent its Richmond frigate to the Red Sea, the country’s Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps said. UK Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps said that the frigate is on its way to the Red Sea to ensure the UK maintains a formidable presence in the face of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi group."With the US, we’ll continue to lead the global response to the crisis and to what is necessary to protect lives and the global economy," Shapps said. Since mid-November, more than 20 commercial carriers and ships have been attacked in the Red Sea by the Houthi group, which says it will continue its operations until Israel stops its war on Gaza.
US and British warships shot down an unprecedented 21 drones and missiles fired Tuesday by Houthis from Yemen towards international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea. It was described as “the largest attack” to date. No injuries or damage were reported, said the US Central Command. It added that this was the 26th attack by Iran-backed Houthi militants since Nov. 19. The latest barrage consisted of 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile, all of which were destroyed by F-18 fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower, and by four destroyers, including the USS Gravely, the USS Laboon, the USS Mason and the UK’s HMS Diamond. In a televised speech Wednesday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group fired a large number of ballistic and naval missiles and drones at a US ship that he claimed was “providing support” to Israel.
US top diplomat Antony Blinken met the head of the Palestinian Authority. As the US secretary of state arrived under tight security in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, protesters held up signs that read “Stop the genocide”, “Free Palestine” and “Blinken out”. Blinken then met Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, who was later set to discuss a “push for an immediate cease-fire” in talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba. The Gaza war started on October 7 after Hamas attacked southern Israel. Over 23,000 people in Gaza have been killed since then.
