VOA News | Wednesday, January 10, 2024 
UN Security Council to Vote on Resolution After Houthi Red Sea Attacks

The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a U.S.-drafted resolution condemning attacks by Yemen-based Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea. The measure comes in response to a series of attacks using missiles, drones and militants approaching ships on boats, which have disrupted maritime travel through a key waterway connecting the Arabian and Mediterranean Seas. The draft resolution calls for an immediate halt to the attacks, saying they impede global commerce and “undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security.” Many shipping companies have shifted their routes to avoid the Red Sea, opting instead for the longer route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. The Iran-backed Houthis said the attacks target ships affiliated with or bound for Israel, and that they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. military reported a new attack late Tuesday in the southern Red Sea involving 18 drones and three anti-ship missiles fired toward an area where dozens of ships were operating. U.S. Central Command said U.S. and British forces shot down all the drones and missiles, and that there were no injuries or damage reported…Read more