Air strikes on Houthis only escalate tensions as UN pursues peace
- As war between Israel and Gaza rages, US and British attacks on Yemen in Red Sea showdown risk spreading the conflict further
Fears of conflict spreading in the Middle East have grown with the United States and Britain retaliating for intensified attacks on Red Sea shipping by Iranian-backed Houthi rebel forces in Yemen. The two allies said they had launched air strikes at military targets in the country.
It is a dangerous escalation of tensions inflamed by Israel’s invasion of Gaza and the inhuman toll of Palestinian civilians. All parties need to stand back and cooperate with UN peace efforts.
China called on the Houthis to abide by a Security Council resolution condemning their actions, but in the end it abstained from the vote on it. Zhang Jun, China’s ambassador to the United Nations, said this was because of fears the resolution would not be able to achieve its intended effect or could even lead to greater trouble in the Middle East.
The Iranian-backed Houthis vow that as long as Israeli forces remain in Gaza as part of their campaign to wipe out Hamas militants responsible for the deadly October 7 assault on Israel, the rebels will continue their attacks on shipping through the Red Sea, a passage that channels about 12 per cent of global trade, which includes about 62 per cent of China’s oil and 17 per cent of its natural gas imports.
The Houthi attacks have forced carriers, including China’s Cosco Shipping, to bypass the route and divert around the Cape of Good Hope, making it more expensive.
The US, Israel’s main ally, formed an international coalition in December to protect shipping from Houthi attacks, which began on November 19. This has only had a limited deterrent effect.
China has not become involved in a multilateral approach to peacekeeping in these waters, which may be wise, given that it could be unnecessarily drawn into a web of relationships from which it may find it difficult to extricate itself.
The UN Security Council resolution demanded an end to the Houthi attacks and respect for navigational rights in accordance with international law. Russia, which also abstained, complained that the US preferred a path of unilateral solution by force.
Zhang called on the Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemeni territory, to abide by the resolution, and on relevant parties to play a responsible role in easing tensions. As he maintained, the links with the war between Israel and Gaza cannot be ignored.
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The priority is a ceasefire in that conflict. Meanwhile, there is a need for calm heads, negotiations and an avoidance of escalation in the Red Sea.
Despite the lack of consensus on the Security Council resolution, the UN remains the proper channel for international efforts to combat the latest threat to peace and stability in the Middle East.
