UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday released a statement saying, “The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the reports of airstrikes earlier today in and around the port of Hudaydah in Yemen. Initial reports indicate a number of fatalities and over 80 people injured in this attack, and that there has been considerable damage to civilian infrastructure. The Secretary-General calls on all concerned to avoid attacks that could harm civilians and damage civilian infrastructure.”
“The Secretary-General remains deeply concerned about the risk of further escalation in the region and continues to urge all to exercise utmost restraint,” the statement concluded.
On Friday, Guterres condemned the overnight Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv that killed one Israeli citizen and wounded ten others. A National Security Council spokesperson issued a statement acknowledging the attack “appears to be the latest in the Houthis’ reckless and destabilizing actions,” and saying Guterres was “deeply concerned about the risk such dangerous acts pose for further escalation in the region,” followed by a call for “maximum restraint.”
On June 27, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate cessation of attacks on ships by the Houthis. The resolution stressed the urgent need to address the disruption to maritime security in a crucial Middle East waterway. But the document failed to reference the Iran-backed rebels’ claim that their actions are in response to the war in Gaza.
The resolution, which also extended the mandate for monthly reports from Guterres on Houthi activities in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, was adopted with 12 votes in favor. Russia, China, and Algeria abstained.
On January 24, Guterres issued a statement saying he “reiterates that attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea area are not acceptable as they endanger the safety and security of global supply chains and have a negative impact on the economic and humanitarian situation worldwide.”
He called on all UN Member States defending their vessels from attacks to do so “in accordance with international law, as stipulated” in January 10 resolution 2722.
2722 starts: “Following naval interception by the United States and the United Kingdom of a barrage of missiles and drones fired from Houthi-controlled territory into the Red Sea on 9 January, the Security Council today adopted a resolution demanding that the Houthis immediately cease all attacks on merchant and commercial vessels.”
The UNSC “demanded that the Houthis immediately release the Galaxy Leader and its crew and took note of Member States’ right, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks – including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms. It also condemned the provision of materiel to the Houthis in violation of resolution 2216 (2015) and urged caution and restraint to avoid further escalation of the situation in the Red Sea and the broader region. Additionally, the Council encouraged enhanced diplomatic efforts by all parties to this end, including continued support for dialogue and Yemen’s peace process.”
On that occasion, Guterres called on all parties involved not to further escalate the situation in the interest of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the wider region:
“The Secretary-General stresses the need to avoid acts that could further worsen the situation in Yemen itself. He calls for every effort to be made to ensure that Yemen pursues a path towards peace and that the work undertaken thus far to end the conflict in Yemen should not be lost,” the statement concluded.
The Red Sea Crisis erupted on October 19, 2023, when Yemen’s Iran-supported Ansar Allah (Houthi movement) launched missiles and armed drones towards Israel, calling for an end to the Gaza Strip invasion. Since then, the Houthis have captured and attacked numerous merchant and naval vessels in the Red Sea, prompting extensive air strikes on missile sites and other targets by US and allied forces.
Beginning January 12, 2024, the US and UK have spearheaded coalition air and missile strikes against Houthi positions. Concurrently, other nations are independently patrolling Yemen’s nearby waters, engaging Houthi vessels in the Red Sea. Despite these efforts, the Houthis remain defiant. In May, Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree declared, “We will target any ships heading to Israeli ports in the Mediterranean Sea in any area we are able to reach.”
As I reported on Sunday morning (Hudaydah Raid a Step Up in Israel’s Security Strategy), The Americans and the coalition countries have attacked Yemen dozens of times in the past, in response to the Houthi attacks on the maritime traffic in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. However, they avoided attacks on the port of Hudaydah because most of the humanitarian aid to the impoverished country, which was badly damaged by the civil war, entered through it.
Israel decided to attack this major port anyway since most of the Iranian arms shipments were sent there. The raid also destroyed the refineries and oil storage facilities that constituted most of the government’s income.
