Yemeni government: International community's leniency towards Houthi militia's naval attacks encourages them to continue their terrorist activities

The Yemeni government expressed its surprise at the international community's tolerance of the attacks launched by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia on international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, stressing that this encourages the militia to continue its terrorist activities and spread chaos in Yemen and the region.

“We are surprised by the continued silence of the international community towards the practices of the terrorist Houthi militia affiliated with Iran, most notably attacks on commercial ships and oil tankers, acts of piracy, deployment of booby-trapped boats, and planting of sea mines, which threaten the security and safety of international trade in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden, one of the most important strategic sea lanes in the world,” Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani said in a statement on the X platform.

He added: "The international community's tolerance of these criminal practices is an indirect encouragement for the Houthi militia to continue its terrorist activities, and undermine international efforts to achieve peace and stability in Yemen and the region. It also sends a wrong message that attacks on international interests can go unpunished, which opens the door to more chaos and unrest in Yemen and the region."

Al-Eryani continued: "The lack of seriousness of the international community in dealing with these threats, which have become a serious danger to global security and peace, is a dereliction of its responsibilities."

● We are surprised by the continued silence of the international community regarding the practices of the terrorist Houthi militia affiliated with Iran, most notably attacks on commercial ships and oil tankers, acts of piracy, the deployment of booby-trapped boats, and the planting of sea mines, which threaten the security and safety of international trade movement in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait...

— Muammar Al-Eryani (@ERYANIM) September 1, 2024

The Yemeni minister explained that Yemen and the trade movement have paid a heavy price since last November for the lack of a serious policy by the international community and the lack of serious and deterrent measures against the terrorist Houthi militia, which acts as a docile tool in the hands of the Iranian regime to implement everything that its other tools in the region have been unable to implement, disregarding the lives of Yemenis, their interests, and its readiness to sacrifice the entire Yemeni people to please its masters in Tehran.

He stated that "these terrorist acts hinder the flow of goods and fuel, leading to higher shipping and ship insurance costs, which negatively impacts the global economy and threatens to raise the prices of basic commodities, especially in developing countries that depend on imports. These attacks also undermine the stability of international trade, which depends heavily on freedom of navigation in this vital and important passageway."

Al-Eryani added: “These random terrorist attacks also pose serious humanitarian risks, not only by endangering the lives of ship crews, but also by threatening the marine environment through the possibility of oil spills and oil pollution, which paralyzes navigation and exacerbates the suffering of local communities in Yemen and coastal countries that depend on fishing and marine water resources.”

The Yemeni minister called on the international community to take urgent action to deter the Houthi militia and impose strict sanctions on it, to ensure the protection of international trade, maintain security and stability in the region, and begin classifying it as a "global terrorist group", and support the legitimate government to impose its control and establish security and stability throughout Yemeni territory.

Since last November, the Iran-backed Houthi militia has been launching drone and missile attacks on cargo ships sailing in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, claiming that this is in support of Gaza, which has been subjected to a devastating Israeli war since October 7. These attacks have negatively affected shipping, trade and global supply chains.

Some attacks on oil tankers have also caused oil leaks off the Yemeni coast, amid fears of a major environmental disaster.