Washington “does not seek conflict” after the Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed duty for an in a single day assault on a U.S. warship within the Red Sea.
That assault marks the newest in a collection of strikes within the important waterway.
“The United States does not seek conflict. We do, however, seek the safe and secure passage of international commerce to the Red Sea, and we’re gonna continue to coordinate and consult closely with our allies and partners about the appropriate next steps should these attacks continue,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby informed reporters.
“The best solution to this situation not escalating is for the Houthis to stop these attacks. In the interim, since they’ve shown no predilection to do that, we’re going to do everything we have to do to protect shipping in the Red Sea, and I think I’ll just gonna leave it there,” he added.
Central Command stated late Tuesday that American and U.Okay. warships downed 21 drones and missiles within the Red Sea launched by the Houthis. London individually stated the assault was the “largest” carried out to this point by the Yemeni rebels amid hovering regional tensions prompted by Israel’s battle on the besieged Gaza Strip.
The assault was the twenty sixth on industrial delivery lanes carried out by the Houthis within the Red Sea since Nov. 19, in line with the Biden administration.
The Houthis have focused vessels within the southern Red Sea and warned they’ll assault all ships transiting to or from Israel. The group stated the assaults are to help Palestinians as they face Israel’s “aggression and siege” in Gaza.
The Red Sea is without doubt one of the world’s busiest delivery lanes. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin not too long ago introduced the creation of a multinational mission – Operation Prosperity Guardian – to counter the Houthi assaults.
Kirby vowed that the Houthis can be held answerable for any assaults they perform.
“The Houthis, they’ve made certain decisions up to this time. They have to make certain decisions going forward, and we’ll see what decisions they make. They will bear the consequences for those decisions going forward,” he stated.
UN Security Council to vote on decision after Houthi assaults in Red Sea
The U.N. Security Council will vote Wednesday on a U.S.-drafted decision that may condemn Houthi assaults on service provider and industrial vessels within the Red Sea.
“We’re working closely with the U.N. Security Council members to pass a resolution to show international solidarity on this critical issue,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby informed reporters.
Kirby stated the textual content of the decision, which is able to probably be voted on later Wednesday, “unequivocally” calls for that the Houthis stop assaults.
“It also underscores the Security Council support for navigational rights and stresses that the transit passage of merchant and commercial vessels through the Red Sea must be able to continue unimpeded,” he added.
The U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the U.Okay. known as for the speedy finish of the “illegal attacks” and the discharge of unlawfully detained vessels and crews.
The Red Sea is without doubt one of the world’s most regularly used sea routes for oil and gas shipments.
Source: www.dailysabah.com