UN Security Council members call for Houthis to stop attacks on shipping
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Members also demanded that the Houthis release the Galaxy Leader and its crew, which the group seized on Nov 19.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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UNITED NATIONS – Members of the United Nations Security Council on Jan 3 called on Yemen’s Houthis to halt their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea
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.
Mr Chris Lu, a US representative to the United Nations, said that the United States believes the situation has reached an “inflection point”.
“These attacks pose grave implications for maritime security, international shipping and commerce, and they undermine the fragile humanitarian situation in Yemen”, threatening the delivery of aid, he said.
Japan’s ambassador to the UN Kazuyuki Yamazaki told the council: “The Security Council should not let this continue. In this regard, and in view of the urgency and the importance of the matter, Japan believes the Security Council should take an appropriate action to deter additional threats by the Houthis and maintain international peace and security.”
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis said on Jan 3 they had “targeted” a container ship bound for Israel, a day after the US Central Command said the militant group had fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles in the southern Red Sea. REUTERS
