KUALA LUMPUR: Concerted action is needed to stop Houthi attacks since mid-November as they threatened to destabilize international shipping transiting the Red Sea.
Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom and the United States emphasised this in a joint statement.
Dated January 11, it called for the immediate end of illegal attacks and warned that malign actors would be held accountable should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways.
"The Houthis' more than two dozen attacks on commercial vessels since mid-November constitute an international challenge.
"Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let our message be clear: we will not hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways in the face of continued threats."
Yesterday, US military forces on Wednesday conducted strikes on 14 Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired from Yemen, in the fourth day of strikes in less than a week, according to Reuters.
On getting 'approval' to act, the joint statement refers to the broad consensus as expressed by 44 countries on December 19, 2023, as well as the statement by the UN Security Council on December 1, 2023, condemning Houthi attacks against merchant and commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea.
The 10 government then issued a joint statement on January 3, 2024 calling for the immediate end of illegal attacks and warned that malign actors would be held accountable should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways.
"Despite this strong warning, attacks in the Red Sea have continued, including the launch of numerous missiles and one-way attack aerial vehicles against ships in the Red Sea on January 9, 2024, including US and UK vessels.
"On January 10, 2024, the UN Security Council passed UNSCR 2722, which also condemned these attacks and demanded that they cease," said the joint statement.
The joint statement did not mentioned that the Houthis had targeted ships in the Red Sea as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians after Israel launched indiscriminate bombing in Gaza for the past three months due to the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023.
The bombardment has resulted on more than 24,000 Palestinian deaths in which more than half were women and children.