UN chief demands Houthis immediately halt attacks on shipping and deescalate Red Sea crisis
NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has demanded that Houthi forces immediately halt attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, warning that a renewed assault risks widening the escalation in the Middle East and drawing Yemen “deeper into regional conflict.”
In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, Guterres called for an immediate deescalation and urged the Houthis to refrain from further attacks, citing Security Council Resolution 2722, adopted in January 2024, and subsequent resolutions relating to the protection of commercial shipping. Navigational rights in and around Bab Al-Mandab Strait “must be fully restored,” he said.
The statement followed renewed Houthi attacks this week as the militant group said it had targeted two Saudi oil tankers. It was the sharpest escalation in the waterway for months.
The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, said he was alarmed by the attacks and similarly warned that they risk dragging Yemen back into full-scale war.
