UN Security Council demands Yemen's Houthis stop Red Sea ship attacks

The United NationsSecurity Council adopted a resolution Wednesday condemning and demanding an immediate halt to attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea area.

The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, says at least two dozen Houthi attacks are impeding global commerce "and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security."

The vote was 11-0 with four abstentions:Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique. Immediately before the vote, the council rejected three proposed Russian amendments.

The Houthis, known officially by the name Ansar Allah, have said they launched the attacks with the aim of ending Israel's devastating air-and-ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli attacks weretriggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas' Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel which killed about 1,200 people and led to some 250 others being taken hostage.

Israel's three-month assault in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people,two-thirds of them women and children, according to Palestinian officials.

The Red Sea links the Mideast and Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal, and its narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Nearly 10 per centof all oil trade and an estimated $1 trillion USin goods pass through the strait annually.

But the Houthi attacks have forced many shipping companies to bypass this route and use the much longer and more expensive route around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.

The resolution demands the immediate release of the first ship the Houthis attacked, the Galaxy Leader, a Japanese-operated cargo ship with links to an Israeli company that it seized on Nov. 19 along with its crew.

However, the links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue.

In the latest incident, a barrage of drones and missiles fired by the Houthis late Tuesday targeted shipping in the Red Sea, though the U.S. said no damage was reported.

A U.S.-led coalition of nations has been patrolling the Red Sea to try to prevent the attacks. Last week the U.S. and 12 other countries issued a statement calling for the immediate end of Houthi attacks and warning that further attacks would require collective action.

"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," they said.

Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of Yemen's Houthi supreme revolutionary committee in Yemen, said on Thursday the UN resolution on navigation on the Red Sea is a "political game" and that theU.S. is the one violating international law.

WATCH | Economic impact of cargo ships rerouting to avoid Houthi attacks:

How the Red Sea shipping crisis could raise the cost of almost everything | About That

9 months ago

Duration 8:24

Recent attacks on ships launched by Yemen's Houthi militia group have threatened one of the world's most crucial trade routes the Suez Canal. As several shipping companies divert their vessels, About That producer Lauren Bird explains the economic ramifications of it all.

Resolution revisedfor wider support

The final draft of the UN resolution makes some changes that appeared aimed at getting broader support.

The initial draft would have recognized "the right of member states, in accordance with international law, to take appropriate measures to defend their merchant and naval vessels."

The final draft approved Wednesday eliminated any UNrecognition of a country's right to defend its ships.

Instead, it affirms that the navigational rights and freedoms of merchant and commercial vessels must be respected, and takes note "of the right of member states, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms."

Without naming Iran, the Houthis' main arms supplier, the resolution condemns all arms dealings with the rebels, which violate Security Council sanctions.

It also calls for "additional practical cooperation to prevent the Houthis from acquiring the materiel necessary to carry out further attacks."

The original and final draft recognized the need to avoid escalating the situation, but the resolution approved Wednesday is broader.

It "urges caution and restraint to avoid further escalation of the situation in the Red Sea and the broader region."

And it "encourages enhanced diplomatic efforts by all parties to that end, including continued support for dialogue and Yemen's peace process under the UNauspices."

LISTEN | Understanding who is attacking ships in the Red Sea and why:

Front Burner23:54High tension on the Red Sea

Yemens Houthi militias are attacking commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea, and say the attacks will continue until Israel ends its crimes in Gaza. Whos backing the Houthi rebels? Why is the U.S. sinking Houthi ships and sailing naval destroyers in the region? What could the attacks mean for fears of a broader regional conflict? Iona Craig is an investigative journalist whos been covering Yemen and the Arabian Peninsula for over a decade.