The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss missile, drone and boarding attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels.
Several member states have called on the Houthis to halt their attacks and release the cargo ship they hijacked in November, but the United Nations has not issued a formal statement, warning against the terrorists and their patrons inside Iran. No concrete action was taken.
Middle East: The risk of the conflict in Gaza spilling over into the region remains high. @UNDPPA's @khiari_khaled The Security Council met to discuss continued attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.https://t.co/xAGEiPLKo4 pic.twitter.com/FLEHl5Tips
— United Nations (@UN) January 4, 2024
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Chris Lu Said At its first Security Council meeting in 2024, it called for urgent action to unite against Houthi piracy and stop the attacks. He reminded other member states that the Security Council had “warned the Houthis to stop these attacks” just over a month ago, but the warnings were completely ignored.
“Since November 19, there have been more than 20 attacks by the Houthis. On December 31, the Houthis attempted to board the ship. Maersk Hangzhou“It's a container ship registered in Singapore and operated by a Danish company,” he said.
Lu pointed out that it was the US Navy that did that, not the United Nations. repulsed Houthi hijacking attempt Maersk Hangzhouand in the process there was a gunfight with terrorists.
“These attacks have serious implications for maritime security, international shipping and commerce. They also undermine Yemen's fragile humanitarian situation and the international community's ability to deliver aid to more than 21 million people in need. It impairs the ability of
This photo released by the Houthi Media Center shows Houthi forces boarding the cargo ship Galaxy Leader on Sunday, November 19, 2023. Yemen's Houthis seized the ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen after threatening to seize all Israeli-owned vessels. companies. (Houthi Media Center, via AP)
Lu said Iran “has been enabling these attacks by the Houthis for many years,” noting that the Houthis have provided financial support and weapons to the rebels, including weapons used to attack ships.
He added: “We also know that Iran is deeply involved in planning operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.”
“It is vitally important that the Council speaks not only about the rights and freedoms of navigation, but also about the need to uphold international law,” he urged, apparently to no avail.
Ambassador of Israel Gilad Erdan Said The U.N. Security Council said the Houthi attack “is a harbinger of the dark future expected for the region and the entire world unless serious action is taken soon.”
“Iran's Ayatollah regime is the only linking factor that unites all the perpetrators of destruction in the Middle East,” he said, adding that Iran is supporting other malign actors such as the Houthis and Shiite militias. I supported his point. attack U.S. and allied personnel in Iraq.
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“This is not an 'Israel problem', it is not a 'Middle East problem'. This is a threat to the whole world. If the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is completely closed, the global economy will lose $6 billion every day. '' he warned.
Erdan said the time had come for the Security Council to impose sanctions on the Houthis and “those who fund and arm them,” including undoubtedly “the radioactive Shiites in the room.” This includes Iran, which is the elephant in the room.
“The Houthis, terrorists in one of the world's poorest countries, would never have acquired ballistic missiles or exploding drones without Iran, and would never have been able to acquire ballistic missiles or exploding drones without Iran, and without receiving real-time information from Iran “There would have been no ability to determine the location of the location,” he said. Outside.
France, whose ship destroyed a Houthi attack drone over the Red Sea, said “the Houthis and those who train and support them” should be held responsible for destabilizing the region and threatening the global economy. .
French Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière Said The French military said it would “continue to fulfill its responsibilities in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and, in cooperation with our partners, contribute to the safety of commercial shipping.”
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British ships are also repelling Houthi terrorist attacks. The UK's acting permanent representative, James Kariuki, said the UK government “continues to work with our allies and partners and pursue all diplomatic channels to end this threat”, but added: “The threat to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea is… We will not hesitate to take action to stop this.”
Kazuyuki Yamazaki Ambassador to Japan called upon The Security Council called for “appropriate action to deter further threats from the Houthis and to maintain international peace and security,” without specifying what those actions would be.
Russia, on the other hand, stepped up its defense of the Houthis, defending their acts of terrorism and piracy as a natural response to Israel's counterterrorism operations against Hamas.
“What is happening in the Red Sea is a direct reflection of the violence in the Gaza Strip, where a bloody operation by Israel has been going on for three months,” Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzia said.
Nebenzia slammed the United States for allegedly covering up Israeli war crimes and holding the Security Council “hostage” by threatening to veto Israeli calls for a ceasefire. He said any attempt to “put out the flames of the Red Sea crisis with gasoline, as the United States and its allies are asking us to do” would be “catastrophic”.
The Russian ambassador described Operation Prosperity Guardian, the US-led security operation in the Red Sea that is currently the only force protecting international shipping from Houthi terrorism, as Washington playing “another geopolitical game”. He criticized them harshly, calling them nothing more than “dumb-headed people.''
This photo released by the Houthi Media Center shows a Houthi military helicopter approaching the cargo ship Galaxy Leader on Sunday, November 19, 2023. Yemen's Houthis seized the ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen after threatening to seize all ships in their possession. By an Israeli company. (Houthi Media Center, via AP)
International Maritime Organization (IMO) Director-General Arsenio Dominguez told the Security Council that the Houthis never intended to limit their attacks to Israeli-linked shipping, as the terrorists had publicly claimed.
Khalid Kiari, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Said “There is no cause or grievance that can justify the continuation of these attacks on freedom of navigation,” he said, but rather than condemn Houthi piracy or call for action against the perpetrators. “We urge all parties concerned to avoid further escalation and reduce tensions.” .
Chiari said the escalation of the situation was “critical” to “return shipping in the Red Sea to normal conditions and avoid the risk of Yemen being drawn into a regional conflagration”.
The UNSC issued the following statement: statement On December 1, it condemned the Houthi attack “in the strongest terms”. hijack of MV Galaxy Leader, It called for “all such attacks and actions to cease immediately.” As Ambassador Lou pointed out, after this statement was issued, the Houthis stepped up their illegal attacks.
As of Thursday morning, the Security Council had not issued any additional joint statement after Wednesday's emergency meeting.
Created independently by the United States and 11 allies statement On Wednesday, it called for “an immediate end to these unlawful attacks and the release of the illegally detained vessels and crew.”
The alliance statement cited the Security Council's condemnation of the Houthi attack and warned the terrorists against committing further “illegal, unacceptable and highly destabilizing” acts.
“If the Houthis continue to threaten human life, the global economy, and the free flow of commerce in the region's vital waterways, they will bear responsibility for the consequences,” the statement said.
