Davos 2024: Red Sea attacks ‘a crisis whole world needs to respond to,’ says US

DAVOS, Switzerland — The uptick in attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen is “a crisis the whole world needs to respond to,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan declared Tuesday.

Since November, the militia, which rules much of Yemen, has been attacking commercial and military vessels bound for Israel over its bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, but that has since extended to other ships. On Jan. 12, the United Kingdom and the United States started launching a series of air strikes against Houthi targets, with the militants responding by attacking more ships. The Israel-Hamas war has just passed its 100th day with little sign of the fighting abating despite US pressure for Israel to draw down its military presence in the besieged enclave. 

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Sullivan said that since mid-November, 50 nations have been impacted by nearly 30 attacks on vessels in the Red Sea by the Iran-aligned group. 

The attacks represented a global challenge instead of a regional one, he said, with the Red Sea-Suez Canal shipping route accounting for around 12% of global trade.