United Nations, United States—The UN envoy for Yemen voiced concern Wednesday about “escalation” in the Red Sea after two Houthi attacks on ships off the Yemen coast, the first since Washington declared a truce with the Iran-backed rebels.
“We are now with grave concern seeing an escalation in the Red Sea with attacks on two commercial ships earlier this week by Ansar Allah, resulting in civilian loss of life and casualties as well as the potential for environmental damage,” said Hans Grundberg at a Security Council meeting, using the rebels’ formal name.
The attacks, both of which have been claimed by the Houthis, were the first for seven months, he said.
They raised fears that the group would resume their campaign against ships passing off the coast of Yemen, despite the ceasefire agreement with Washington in May that ended a US bombing campaign against the rebels.
The first attack sank the Magic Seas cargo ship, though its crew was rescued.
The second attack began Monday against the MV Eternity C, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, and left at least three crew members dead. The Houthis claimed responsibility for it on Wednesday.
“Freedom of navigation in the Red Sea must be safeguarded, and civilian infrastructure must never become a target of conflict,” Grundberg said.
“Above all, Yemen must not be drawn deeper into regional crises that threaten to unravel the already extremely fragile situation in the country. The stakes for Yemen are simply too high.”
The Houthis form part of Iran’s “axis of resistance” against Israel and the United States, and since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, they have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel in what they say is a show of solidarity with the Palestinians.
They have also targeted ships they accuse of having ties to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, sparking the US-led bombing campaign that had been aimed at securing the key shipping lanes.
The US embassy accused Yemen’s Houthi rebels Wednesday of kidnapping crew members from the Eternity C during their deadly attack on the cargo vessel in the Red Sea earlier this week.
“After killing their shipmates, sinking their ship and hampering rescue efforts, the Houthi terrorists have kidnapped many surviving crew members of the Eternity C. We call for their immediate and unconditional safe release,” the embassy said in a statement on X.
