With tensions and concern over regional spillover also rising following the assassination of Hamas’s deputy leader and other commanders in Beirut on Tuesday, Iran has also reportedly rejected calls from the US and the UK to end its support for the attacks by Houthi rebels. Two senior UN officials are due to brief ambassadors beginning at 3:00 PM, and following the open meeting, the 15-member Security Council will then go into closed session.And the most recent meeting focused on the crisis of the Council on 29 December, saw the UN chief António Guterres warn of the widening risks of further spillover.The Houthi rebel movement controls the capital and large swathes of the country, including the Red Sea coast. They began targeting what they believe to be Israel-bound vessels in mid-November after first launching missile and drone attacks against Israel, in support of extremist group Hamas.2:40 PMNow they have widened their aim to all international shipping companies, until Israel allows full humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza, causing many to divert their ships far to the south around the Cape of Good Hope, incurring extra costs and adding extra days, driving up costs.
Top UN officials to brief
Just a reminder here of the last Security Council resolution adopted on the Gaza crisis on 22 December, where ambassadors called for immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian aid to stricken civilians in Gaza. The Security Council issued a press statement on 1 December addressing the Houthi threat condemning the attacks “in the strongest terms”. They also called for the immediate release of the Japanese registered MV Galaxy Leader which was seized by rebels on 19 November.An Iranian destroyer crossed into the Red Sea on Monday, while a US-led multinational task force was formed on 18 December in a bid to counter the Houthi attacks.UN Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Mohamed Khaled Khiari will likely speak first, followed by the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Arsenio Dominguez.There have been well over 20 attacks on international shipping by Houthi rebels in Yemen along the crucial international shipping lanes of the Red Sea, since the 7 October attacks by Hamas led to Israel’s devastating offensive.
