US-Led Coalition Gives 'Final Warning' to Houthis

After about two dozen attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea since October, a coalition of mostly Western countries has warned Yemen's Houthis against further aggression. The US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, and New Zealand issued a statement Wednesday saying the Iranian-backed rebels would "bear the consequences" if attacks continue, the BBC and Fox News report. The Houthis have declared support for Hamas in its war with Israel and have said, often falsely, that they are attacking ships linked to Israel, but the US-led coalition says there is "no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels."

Officials were describing the message as a final warning, the Wall Street Journal reports, and US officials say they have prepared military options to strike Houthi targets if needed. "Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing," the statement continues. "Attacks on vessels, including commercial vessels, using unmanned aerial vehicles, small boats, and missiles, including the first use of anti-ship ballistic missiles against such vessels, are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as the bedrock of global trade in one of the world's most critical waterways." Nearly 15% of global trade passes through the Red Sea, and there are concerns about supply chain disruption and increased fuel prices as a result of the attacks.

Also Wednesday, the US called on the United Nations Security Council to take action against the Houthi rebels, the AP reports. An official said 18 companies so far have rerouted their shipping vessels around South Africa due to the violence, adding 10 days to their shipping routes. Iran, another official said, "can continue its current course, or it can withhold its support without which the Houthis would struggle to effectively track and strike commercial vessels navigating shipping lanes through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden." (More Houthis stories.)