Ships from the Gerald R. Ford and Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) sail in formation in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Nov. 3, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Maxwell Orlosky)
A coalition of twelve countries led by the United States have warned Yemen’s Houthis (Ansar Allah) of “consequences” unless they stop their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” said the statement released by the White House on January 3. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways”.
The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan are among the signatories of the statement. The only country in the Middle East to sign the statement was Bahrain.
The Houthis, who control much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, are a part of the so-called Axis of Resistance that is backed by Iran and opposes Israel.
The group has fired several missiles and drones at the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat since the beginning of the Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip. It also assaulted a number of Israeli-related ships and announced a blockade on all ships heading to Israel.
In response, the U.S. deployed an aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, near Yemen and earlier announced a coalition of countries to protect movement in the Red Sea, through which 12 percent of global trade passes.
The new warning by the U.S. and its allies came after several reports that President Joe Biden’s administration is considering direct strikes on the Houthis, if the attacks continue.
A senior U.S. official told reporters on January 3 that Biden wanted to send “a very clear warning to the Houthis that they will bear the full consequences and responsibility for any further attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.”
“I would not anticipate another warning because this speaks very much for itself,” the unnamed official said in a briefing.
On the same day, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on X, previously known as Twitter, that this coalition was “united” in their stance against the Iran-backed rebel group.
“The Houthis must end their deadly and destabilizing attacks on vessels in the Red Sea,” he wrote. “The UK will always take action to defend freedom of navigation.”
The Houthis have already vowed that their attacks against Israel and related ships will continue and warned the U.S.-led coalition against launching any attack on Yemen. The Iranian-backed group possesses a large arsenal of offensive weapons, including missiles, drones and remotely-controlled boats that can attack vessels hundreds of kilometers away from Yemen’s shores.
