The U.N. Security Council on Thursday approved a resolution demanding Yemen’s Houthi rebels halt all attacks on ships and urged that the disruption to maritime security in a critical Middle East waterway be urgently addressed.
The resolution made no mention that the Iran-backed rebels claim they are staging the attacks because of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The resolution, which also extended the requirement that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres report monthly on the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, was approved by a 12-0 vote, with Russia, China and Algeria abstaining.
The resolution condemns the Houthis’ continuing attacks, which the rebels say are aimed at ending the war in Gaza, now in its ninth month — emphasizing the need to address root causes, “including the conflicts contributing to regional tensions and the disruption to maritime security.”