On July 24, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, via spokesman Stéphane
Dujarric, condemned the Houthi militants' resumption of attacks on commercial
vessels transiting the Red Sea and their renewed threats to maritime navigation.
The statement warned the actions could further escalate regional tensions and
risk drawing Yemen deeper into the conflict, and said continued deterioration
would undermine peace prospects and cause serious economic, humanitarian and
environmental damage regionally and beyond. Guterres called for immediate
de-escalation, urged the Houthis to stop further attacks or other escalatory
actions and to comply with UN Security Council resolution 2722 and subsequent
resolutions protecting commercial shipping and Red Sea navigation, and stressed
that international navigation rights and freedom of passage in the Bab al-Mandeb
and adjacent waters must be fully restored.
