Yemen’s Houthis have assured Russia and China that their ships won’t be attacked while transiting the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea during recent talks in Oman, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.
The report said that in exchange for the assurances, China and Russia may provide political support at the UN Security Council as they’re both permanent members and can veto resolutions.
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have not targeted Chinese or Russian ships, but Beijing and Moscow were likely looking for assurances as the situation in the region has been escalating since the US and UK began bombing Yemen in January.
Since the US started the new bombing campaign, the Houthis expanded the scope of their targets to American and British commercial shipping. Previously, the Yemeni group said it was only targeting Israel-linked shipping.
The Houthis have made clear that they would only stop their attacks on commercial shipping once the Israeli onslaught in Gaza comes to an end. Some US officials have acknowledged the Houthis would likely be true to their word, but instead of pressuring Israel to agree to a ceasefire, the US has opted for escalation.
The US backed a brutal Saudi/UAE war against the Houthis from 2015-2022 that involved heavy airstrikes and a blockade, and the Houthis only became more of a capable fighting force during that time.
The war killed at least 377,000 people, with more than half dying of starvation and disease caused by the siege. A ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis has held relatively well since April 2022, but new US sanctions are now blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.
Source: AntiWar.
