By REUTERS
The UN Security Council may meet as early as Wednesday on the situation in the Red Sea, the French ambassador to the United Nations, whose country assumed the council presidency, said on Tuesday.
“It’s likely the council will meet on the issue sooner, probably even tomorrow,” Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere told a news conference when asked about the international response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on Red Sea shipping.
“The situation is bad,” he said. “There is a repetition of violations and military actions in this area.”
For weeks, the waterway has been the scene of attacks by the Houthis, who said they would block Israeli ships in support of Gaza. However, many attacks have included non-Israeli ships, prompting major shipping companies to divert their vessels to alternative routes.
The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are vital maritime routes, with about 12 per cent of annual global trade moving through the region.
