UN voices concern over ‘alarming’ developments in Red Sea

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all sides “not to escalate” the volatile situation in the Red Sea, his spokesman said on Friday after Washington and London launched strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

“These developments in the Red Sea and the risk of exacerbating regional tensions are alarming,” Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East and Asia and the Pacific, Khaled Khiari, told a UN Security Council meeting.

The 15-member Council met one day after the US and the UK, with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, conducted airstrikes against military targets in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.

The Houthi group, which said it targets Israeli-linked vessels in solidarity with the people of Gaza, said America and Britain will “pay a heavy price.”

The UN has emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety and security of maritime navigation in the region, as stressed in Resolution 272, which condemned and demanded an immediate halt to attacks by the Houthis on ships in the Red Sea.