A senior US official said the attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen against vessels in the Red Sea do not help the people in Gaza.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he urged Yemeni parties to prioritize the needs of the people and avoid dragging their country into a broader regional conflict through such escalatory behavior.
He added that the attacks on shipping vessel violate international law and threaten stability in Yemen. They also threaten peace in the war-torn country and efforts made over the past two years to resolve the conflict.
Asharq Al-Awsat was asking officials and researchers about the impact the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea may have on peace in Yemen, especially in wake of the UN recently announcing an agreement that was reached between the warring parties on a roadmap for peace.
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam told Asharq Al-Awsat on Saturday that the attacks in the Red Sea will not affect the situation in Yemen, stressing they were solely aimed against Israel.
In an interview to Asharq Al-Awsat last week, United Nations Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said: “The Secretary-General and competent United Nations entities are closely following the reports regarding attacks against vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.”
“The United Nations has repeatedly stressed the importance of ensuring respect to international law in full regarding maritime navigation and emphasized the need to guarantee freedom of navigation,” he added.
“The Secretary-General additionally warned against the risk of the spillover of the violence in the occupied territories and stressed the urgent need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to end the unfolding tragedy in Gaza. Here I would also like to join the voice of the Secretary-General in sounding the alarm regarding the risk of an expansion of the violence and threatening the safety and security of the region,” the envoy stated.
“My focus remains on Yemen and Yemen deserves a chance at peace. However, in order to achieve this, we will need an environment that remains conducive for sustaining constructive dialogue around the future of Yemen,” he stressed.
Commenting on the attacks, Baraa Shiban, of the Royal United Services Institute, warned of a new situation emerging in Yemen, which he compared to “the Hezbollah problem and its relationship to the Lebanese state.”
He explained that the Houthis believe they can take decisions related to Red Sea security and Yemen’s foreign policy without the agreement of other Yemeni parties.
Foreign policy is set by the state, not one party, he stressed. Policy must enjoy national consensus and be in line with Yemen’s regional and international commitments.
The Houthis have stepped up attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea in protest against Israel's war in Gaza. Various shipping lines have suspended operations, instead taking the longer journey around Africa.
In retaliation, Washington launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, which is a naval coalition – comprised of 22 countries so far – to deter the Houthi attacks.
A drone launched from Yemen was shot down in self-defense by a US ship in the southern Red Sea on Saturday in the vicinity of several commercial vessels, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.