The United States and 11 international partners on Wednesday demanded an immediate end to attacks on shipping by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
It came hours after the group claimed to have launched an attack on a ship bound for Israel and days after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said U.S. helicopters killed Houthis as they tried to attack ships.
‘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 signed by governments of the U.S., , Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
‘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 response was developed after President Joe Biden convened his national security team on New Year’s Day to discuss the escalation in incidents. And a senior administration official later said the Houthis should not expect a second warning.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said: ‘As we’ve made clear, these actions directly threaten freedom of navigation and global trade and they put innocent lives at risk’
Houthi troopers stand guard during a protest against a multinational operation to safeguard Red Sea shipping and in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Sana’a, Yemen
The Yemeni rebels are backed by Iran. They have stepped up attacks on international shipping since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel in what they say is an act of solidarity with Palestinians.
‘As we’ve made clear, these actions directly threaten freedom of navigation and global trade and they put innocent lives at risk,’ said national security spokesman John Kirby at the White House.
‘This joint statement demonstrates the resolve of global partners against these unlawful attacks and underlines our commitment to holding malign actors accountable for their actions.’
He added that a 13th nation, Singapore, had signed on to the statement after its release.
Several shipping companies have halted navigation through the Red Sea as a result of the attacks, and are instead using the longer route around Africa.
Several nations have joined together to launch Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect shipping in the region.
Kirby said he could not rule out the idea that American consumers could see the price of imported good increase.
‘Right now, we haven’t seen … an uptick or a specific effect on the US economy,’ he said.
‘But make no mistake, it is a key international waterway, and it can have an effect on the global economy.’
Seven Houthis were killed at the weekend in a clash with American helicopters, after their boats fired on a Singapore-flagged container ship.
A cargo ship crosses the Suez Canal, one of the most critical human-made waterways, in Ismailia, Egypt on December 29, 2023
The militants been targeting vessels crossing the crucial shipping lane in support of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas
U.S. Central Command said the USS Gravely and USS Laboon responded to the vessel’s distress call after it had been hit by a missile on Saturday.
‘This is the 23rd illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping since Nov. 19,’ CENTCOM said.
Warships responded to a second call the following day as the vessel was attacked by small boats, which got to within about 60 feet.
U.S. helicopters from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and the Gravely. They first issued warnings but still came under small arms fire.
‘The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense,’ sinking three of the four boats, continued the statement.
A senior administration official later said that it appeared to be an attempted hijacking or a suicide attack and Biden had been kept up to date in almost real time.
‘I would just say that I would not anticipate another warning,’ said the official.
‘This statement speaks very much for itself. And we have acted defensively. And again, I think is a very clear warning.’
He also said that Saturday’s attack was the first time anti-ship ballistic missiles ‘have been used anywhere, let alone against commercial ships.’