Yemen’s internationally-recognized government reasserted its support for Arab Coalition measures to secure the Southern Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait waters. It added that such efforts put an end to threats by Iran-backed Houthi militias and ensure a safe flow for world trade and oil tankers sailing the strait.
The Yemeni government released its statement shortly after the Coalition issued its Wednesday press release on measures to secure Bab al-Mandab Strait waters.
Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki Al-Maliki said the alliance had assessed all the attacks committed by the Iran-backed Houthi militia in the strait and the southern part of the Red Sea.
Al-Maliki said the Houthis hostile approach could cause an environmental and economic disaster that would harm the interests of countries in the region and around the world. He said the coalition will continue coordinating with the international community to preserve regional and international security and global stability.
“Coalition forces command, in coordination with the international community, has taken all the necessary measures to ensure the continuation of free sea navigation and trade through Bab Al Mandab and south of the Red Sea,” he added.
Col. Malaki warned that Houthi acts against Red Sea navigation will lead to an “environmental and economic catastrophe” harmful to the region and the world.
For its part, the Yemeni Foreign Ministry called on the UN Security Council to “shoulder its responsibility,” for protecting international navigation in the region.
“Protecting the international navigation waterway south off the Red Sea and Bab Al Mandab is not confined to the Yemeni government and the [Arab] coalition. It is a vital zone for international trade,” the ministry added in a statement, according to Yemen’s official news agency Saba.
It is worth noting that despite Houthi terror attacks against international navigation, the Aden-based Yemeni government and its ally the Saudi-led Coalition suspended military operations intended to free the coveted port city of Hodeidah for 45 days.
The Coalition and the government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi hope to give UN envoy Martin Griffiths enough time to persuade Houthi militias to evacuate the city and hand over its seaports, before resorting to continued military campaigns.
Griffiths is also tasked with pressuring Houthi militias to roll back their attacks against maritime navigation.
Last week, Saudi Arabia temporarily halted its oil shipments through the Bab Al Mandab Strait after Al Houthis attacked two Saudi oil tankers off Yemen’s west coast.
Bab Al Mandab is a major waterway connecting the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
