Britain, the U.S. and other key allies issued what has been described as a final warning to the Houthi Yemeni rebel group to stop attacking international ships in the Red Sea January 3. The list of signatories on the final warning include the U.S., Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Bahrain, the Netherlands, Britain, Japan, Canada, Italy, Denmark and Germany.
“Ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable and profoundly destabilizing,” reads the warning. “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.”
American officials said that the U.S. military has prepared options to strike the rebel group. According to The Wall Street Journal, potential targets of the coalition’s attacks include launchers for anti-ship missiles and drones as well as storage facilities for ammunition.
John Kirby, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said that while President Joe Biden does not want to enter into a conflict with “any nation or actor in the Middle East,” the U.S. will not shy away from “the task of defending ourselves, our interests, our partners or the free flow of international commerce.”
A senior official within the Biden administration said that the idea of issuing a final warning was discussed by the President and his national security team on January 1 when they met to mull over their options to deter Houthis from more Red Sea attacks.
“I would not anticipate another warning,” the official said.
As of January 2, the Houthis have carried out 24 attacks on commercial ships in the Middle East since the middle of November 2023, based on data from the U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the region.
