The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution condemning “in the strongest terms” multiple Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea over the past two months, which have raised concerns over disruptions in global trade and regional security.
The council demanded that the group immediately cease such behavior and release the Galaxy Leader, a Japan-operated cargo ship with links to an Israeli businessman, and its 25 crew members.
Authored by the US and Japan, the resolution stated that there should be respect for international law that upholds the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by operators of merchant and commercial vessels. It also noted that member states have the right to defend their vessels from attacks. Since mid-November 2023, the Houthi rebels have repeatedly attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea, at last count 24 times, and threatened to continue to do so until Israel ends its war on Gaza.
The capture of the Galaxy Leader was followed by an attempt to seize another commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Nov. 26. There have now been almost daily, and indiscriminate, attacks in the Red Sea.
The resolution, which Arab News has seen, stated that member states must respect the targeted arms embargo, and condemned the provision of weapons and related material of all types to the Houthis, which are in violation of UN Resolution 2216. This resolution was adopted in 2015 and demanded that the Houthis withdraw from all occupied areas and relinquish all seized arms. It established an arms embargo on the Houthis and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.
Eleven council members voted for Resolution 2722 related to the Houthi attacks, none against, while Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique abstained. The council voted down amendments proposed by Russia, one of which would have established a link between the Houthi attacks and the conflict in Gaza and called for a suspension of hostilities in the enclave.—Agencies
