12 countries warn Houthis against Red Sea attacks

The UK and 11 other countries have warned Houthi rebels in Yemen against attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

In a joint statement, the group of states has warned the rebels they will face consequences if attacks continue.

However, the Houthis have vowed to continue targeting ships which they think are linked to Israel.

Around 15 per cent of all global trade passes through the Bab al-Mandab strait and shipping costs and times have already increased, as companies reroute their shipping.

Since November, the rebels have attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea more than 20 times with missiles, drones, fast boats and helicopters, claiming (often incorrectly) that the ships are linked to Israel.

The statement was signed by Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, the UK and the US and said the attacks were illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilising" and there was "no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels".

In a statement at the UN Security Council meeting on Houthi threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea, UK ambassador James Kariuki said: "The United Kingdom condemns in the strongest terms, the illegal and unjustified attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea by Houthi militants.

"We call on the Houthis to cease these attacks immediately

"Today we joined 11 countries in a statement warning against further attacks. We will continue to work with allies and partners to pursue all diplomatic routes to end this threat.

"If necessary, as the UK Defence Secretary has stated, we will not hesitate to take action to deter threats to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea."

Image: Aplaice, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons