US And Partners Warn Houthis To Halt Strikes

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – The United States and 11 international partners have called for an immediate end to attacks on ships by Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea and suggested the rebels may face military retaliation if they continue their strikes.

The warning came shortly as the militia attacked a ship bound for Israel and days after U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said U.S. helicopters killed Houthis trying to attack ships.

“Let our message now be clear: We call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” said the U.S., Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Britain.

“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, then added in their statement.

The response came after U.S. President Joe Biden convened his national security team on New Year’s Day to discuss the escalation in incidents. An unidentified senior administration told media that the Houthis should not expect a “second warning.”

The Yemeni rebels say their actions are “an act of solidarity with Palestinians.”

However, “As we’ve made clear, these actions directly threaten freedom of navigation and global trade, and they put innocent lives at risk,’ said U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby at the White House.

JOINT STATEMENT

“This joint statement demonstrates the resolve of global partners against these unlawful attacks and underlines our commitment to holding malign actors accountable for their actions,” Kirby stressed.

He added that a 13th nation, Singapore, had signed on to the statement after its release.

Kirby said he could not rule out the idea that American consumers could see the price of imported goods increase. “Right now, we haven’t seen … an uptick or a specific effect on the US economy,” he said.

“But make no mistake, it is a key international waterway, and it can affect the global economy.”

The U.S. has sent an aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, to the area as part of a coalition of countries protecting movement in the Red Sea, through which 12 percent of global trade passes, officials said.

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