US, NATO, EU and others condemn Houthi attacks on shipping in Red Sea

A group of countries led by the United States — including the members of NATO and the European Union — release a joint statement denouncing the repeated attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, warning they “threaten international commerce and maritime security.”

“The Houthi-led seizure of the Galaxy Leader on November 19 and the detention of its 25-member international crew — who remain unjustly detained — is appalling. Such behavior also threatens the movement of food, fuel, humanitarian assistance, and other essential commodities to destinations and populations all over the world,” the statement says.

It adds: “The undersigned further encourage all states to refrain from facilitation or encouragement of the Houthis. There is no justification for these attacks, which affect many countries beyond the flags these ships sail under.”

The statement calls on the Houthis to immediately release the Galaxy Leader’s crew and stop attacking ships.

Along with member states of NATO and the EU, the other countries that signed the statement are Australia, the Bahamas, Japan, Liberia, New Zealand, South Korea, Singapore and the United States. Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which the Houthis ejected from the capital Sanaa in 2014 as part of the Yemeni civil war, also endorsed the statement.