UN Security Council holds emergency meeting on tense situation in Red Sea

On the afternoon of January 3 (New York time), at the United Nations headquarters, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) held an emergency meeting to discuss the consecutive attacks by Houthi gunmen in the Red Sea, in the context of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas threatening to spread throughout the region.

The Security Council decided to meet after finding that recent attacks in the Red Sea posed an increasingly serious threat to global trade and regional stability.

Speaking before the Security Council, UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East Khaled Khiari said that escalating tensions and threats to maritime activities could have serious consequences and affect "millions of people in Yemen, the region and globally".

Mr. Khairi stressed that nothing can justify continuing attacks on freedom of navigation, and urged all parties concerned to avoid escalating tensions and cool down the current situation so as not to affect regional security and international trade activities.

Speaking at the meeting, International Maritime Organization Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez said that recent information showed that Houthi forces were not only limiting their attacks to ships linked to Israel.

Mr. Dominguez called on all parties to exercise restraint and reduce conflicts "to ensure the safety of vessels in the region, ensure freedom of navigation and stabilize supply chains."

Previously, on December 1, 2023, the UNSC also issued a joint statement condemning the attacks by Houthi forces in the Red Sea "in the strongest terms".