UN Security Council condemns Houthis attacks, Russia abstains

Shafaq News/ The UN Security Council passed a resolution on Wednesday condemning Houthi attacks with rockets off the coast of Yemen that have disrupted world trade and sparked concerns about spillover from the Gaza war.

According to the UN statement, Russia first proposed three amendments to the draft text, but all were defeated.

Eleven countries voted in favor, none against, and four countries abstained: China, Russia, Algeria, and Mozambique.

This is the second condemnation by the Council to the Houthis attacks. On December 1, the Council members demanded the release of the Japanese-registered Galaxy Leader and its crew.

The new draft resolution condemns "in the strongest terms the Houthi attacks on merchant and commercial vessels since November 19, demanding that the group immediately cease all such attacks, as well as release the Galaxy Leader and its crew."

The text calls for "respect for the exercise of navigational rights and freedoms by merchant and commercial vessels in line with international law."

It further notes Member States' right, per international law, to "defend their vessels from attacks, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms."

The text commends efforts to protect shipping under fire in the Red Sea. It encourages Member States to "support capacity building efforts" of the Yemeni coastguard to preserve the sovereignty and integrity of the country.

It also emphasizes the need to "address the root causes" of the attack contributing to regional tensions to ensure a "prompt, efficient and effective response."

The resolution condemns the provision of any arms to the Houthis and "urges caution and restraint to avoid further escalation of the situation in the Red Sea and the broader region."

Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the new resolution has a "dangerous side" presented by the United States.

The delegate said this text should not create a precedent, adding that "international law deals with freedom of navigation in peacetime, not in wartime." He regretted the "politicized nature of the text and the allegations of politicization voiced by the US towards his country."

While condemning the attacks on civilian ships, the Russian delegation stated that the objective of the resolution was not to ensure the safety of navigation in the Red Sea but an attempt to legitimize the coalition's actions "led by the United States and the United Kingdom" and to obtain, indirectly, the Security Council's "blessings."

Nebenzia suggested recognizing the "direct consequences" of Israel's "very violent military operations that have lasted for more than three months in Gaza to solve the problems in the Red Sea.

The United States reported earlier that, together with UK naval forces, it had shot down 21 drones and missiles fired by Houthi rebels from Yemen on Tuesday in the southern Red Sea.

There have been over two dozen separate attacks on international shipping carried out by Houthid, which controls much of Yemen, since the October 7 attacks by Hamas led to Israel's offensive in Gaza.