U.S., allies mull strikes on Houthis
A joint statement demands that Yemen rebels stop attacking ships in the Red Sea
Twelve nations led by the United States on Wednesday jointly warned Yemen's Houthi rebels of unspecified consequences unless they halt their attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea.
The statement released by the White House comes after several reports that President Joe Biden's administration is considering direct strikes on the rebels if the attacks continue.
"Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews," the statement said.
"The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways."
Signatories of the statement included the United Kingdom, which on Monday issued its own warning to the Houthis of "direct action," as well as Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan.
The only regional country to sign was Bahrain, the tiny Gulf state that has particularly tense relations with Iran, which supports the Houthis.
The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza by targeting ships with links to Israel.
The US has sent an aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, to the area and earlier announced a coalition of countries to protect movement in the Red Sea, through which 12 percent of global trade passes.
Meanwhile the UK has sent a Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Diamond, to join the maritime protection force and other British military vessels already in the Gulf as part of its longstanding maritime presence there.
Meanwhile, 18 shipping companies are re-routing their vessels around Africa to avoid the Red Sea amid an upsurge in Houthi attacks on shipping, the United Nations' maritime agency said Wednesday.
"A significant number of companies, around 18 shipping companies, have already decided to reroute their vessels around South Africa in order to reduce the attacks on vessels," International Maritime Organization chief Arsenio Dominguez said.
"(This) represents an additional 10 days to the journeys (and) negative impact on trade and on increasing freight rates," he said.