According to the Financial Associated Press, a few hours after the United States announced the formation of a multinational naval alliance to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Yemen's Houthi rebels responded on the 19th that they would not stop their "military operations" in the Red Sea.
Houthi senior Mohammed Boheiti posted on X on Tuesday: "Even if the United States succeeds in mobilizing the whole world, our military operations will not stop ......."No matter how much we sacrifice for it. Buheti said they would only stop their attacks if Israel "stopped its crimes in Gaza and allowed food, medicine and fuel to reach the besieged population."
In November, the Houthis seized a cargo ship owned by an Israeli company in the Red Sea.
Source: Anadolu News Agency, Turkey.
The Houthis have previously said that all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies, or flying the Israeli flag, would be "legitimate targets" for attacks by the group. The Houthis have recently attacked more than a dozen merchant ships in an attempt to force Israel to stop its bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday announced the creation of an alliance to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea after a series of Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea forced shipping companies around the world to suspend their routes. The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will join the new US-led mission. Austin said of the new 10-nation coalition. He said the unit's operational goal is to "ensure freedom of navigation for all countries and promote regional security and prosperity."
But according to Qatar's Al Jazeera, Tritta Passy, deputy director of the Quincy Institute for Policy Studies and a lecturer at Georgetown University in Washington, posted on platform X that "not a single country in the Red Sea region has agreed to join the U.S. coalition to protect it." Only one Arab country, Bahrain, joined. What is the appeal of Biden's diplomacy?If Biden supports a ceasefire in Gaza, what will this coalition that the United States wants to form look like?"Obviously, none of the countries bordering the Red Sea, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea and Israel, have joined.
Following the announcement of the formation of the coalition by the United States, the Houthis said in a statement that day that the group's maritime operations were aimed at "supporting the Palestinian people facing Israeli aggression and blockade" and not a "show of force or challenge" against other parties. The statement said that the multinational force formed by the United States "militarized" the Red Sea "without justification" and that "anyone who tries to expand the conflict must bear the consequences for his actions."
For now, there is a risk of further escalation of tensions in the Red Sea. Mohammed Abdul Salam, a senior Houthi and senior negotiator, said the Houthi attack was not a provocation, but that if the new coalition formed by the United States insisted on carrying out the attack, then they would have to bear the consequences of the broader conflict in the region.
Russian military expert Sivkov recently pointed out that the military operation of the United States and other countries in the Red Sea will lead to the expansion of the conflict in Yemen, and the Houthis will begin to act more toughly.
So far, at least 12 shipping lines, including the Italian-Swiss shipping giant Mediterranean Shipping Company, France's CMA CGM Group and Denmark's Maersk Line, have suspended the Red Sea route due to safety concerns. British oil giant BP on Monday became the latest to announce that it would avoid the waters.
About 12% of the world** passes through the Red Sea, which is connected to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. Houthi attacks have diverted some of the routes, forcing freight companies to detour Africa, leading to higher transportation costs and delays for energy, food and consumer goods. Analysts point out that the disruption of the Red Sea, the world's largest artery, could undermine global efforts to fight inflation. The world's major central banks have been cutting interest rates to fight inflation and bring down prices.
*丨Finance Associated Press Al Jazeera.
Editor丨Liu Liping, editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News.
Typesetting丨Su Ruixue, Shenzhen Satellite TV direct news editor.