A coalition of countries led by the United States on Wednesday urged Yemen’s Houthis to “immediately stop their illegal attacks” on merchant ships in the Red Sea, failing which these rebels, close to Iran, will face the “consequences” .
The warning comes as the increase in attacks in this strategic area, which sees 12% of global maritime trade, has pushed some shipowners to avoid the Red Sea, causing transport costs to soar.
“A significant number of companies, around 18 carriers, have already decided to reroute their ships around South Africa in order to reduce [le risque] of attacks,” the head of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez, told a Security Council meeting at UN headquarters.
The Houthis claimed on Wednesday to have carried out an “operation” against a ship from the French carrier CMA CGM in the Red Sea.
The US military had indicated earlier that two missiles were fired Tuesday evening by the Houthis in an area where several merchant ships were located, near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, “without causing any damage”.
Tuesday evening’s attack was the 24e of its kind since mid-November, according to the US military Command in the Middle East (Centcom).
” Very clear “
“Our message must be clear: we demand an immediate end to these illegal attacks and the release of illegally detained ships and crews,” said this coalition of 12 countries in a statement released by the White House.
“The Houthis will bear responsibility for the consequences if they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and the free flow of trade in the region’s critical waterways,” it added.
The United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Netherlands are signatories.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior US official insisted to journalists that this was a “very clear warning given” to the Houthis, saying he did not expect there to be any more.
He said President Joe Biden “discussed options” with his security cabinet on New Year’s Day while in the Virgin Islands.
The United States further believes that the missiles used by the Houthis “very clearly come from Iran”.
Although it supports them politically, the Islamic Republic nevertheless denies providing military equipment to the rebels, who have been at war against the Yemeni government since 2014 and who control a large part of the territory of the country, the poorest on the Arabian Peninsula.
“Freedom of navigation”
The British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, for his part declared on X (formerly Twitter) that “the Houthis must put an end to their murderous and destabilizing attacks”.
“The UK will always take action to defend freedom of navigation,” he added.
London said it was “ready to take direct action” against the Houthis, British Defense Minister Grant Shapps had already warned on Monday in the Daily Telegraph.
The rebels, supported by Iran, are increasing drone and missile attacks off the Yemeni coast, claiming to act in solidarity with Gaza, bombed and besieged by Israel after the attacks perpetrated by Palestinian Hamas on October 7.
The Houthis have warned they will target ships with ties to Israel traveling in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa.
The United States has already deployed an aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, to the region.
For its part, Great Britain sent a destroyer, the HMS Diamond, to reinforce the British maritime protection force already present in the sector.
Several missiles and drones have been shot down by American, French and British warships patrolling the area, while the United States has set up a multinational maritime protection force in the Red Sea.
On Sunday, the American army announced that it had sunk three Houthi ships, after attacks on a container ship of the Danish carrier Maersk. Ten rebels were killed in this strike, according to a spokesperson for the movement.