US State Secretary Antony Blinken spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday and voiced concerns “shared” by India over “reckless Houthi attacks” in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
“The Secretary emphasised the Red Sea is a major commercial corridor that facilitates international trade and welcomed increased cooperation with India in defending freedom of navigation in the region,” the State Department said in a statement that stressed that the attacks threaten the free flow of commerce, endanger innocent mariners, and violate international law.
“The Secretary and External Affairs Minister discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict, efforts to prevent the conflict’s escalation and increase the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. The Secretary also discussed Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine,” the statement added.
At the UN stage on Tuesday, India said it is in constant touch with the leaders of Israel and Palestine. Its message has been ‘clear and consistent’ since the start of the between Israel and Hamas which could lead to a wider conflict in West Asia. “The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to a large-scale loss of civilian lives, especially women and children, and has resulted in an alarming humanitarian crisis,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj said in the UN General Assembly.
Read More: US, Allies Conduct Airstrikes on Houthis in Yemen; Biden Says ‘Will Not Hesitate to Order Further Action’
Blinken and Jaishankar held talks a few hours before the US and Britain announced airstrikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the movement’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea. US President Joe Biden cautioned in a statement on Thursday he would not hesitate to take further action if needed. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the strikes targeted Houthi capabilities including drones, ballistic and cruise missiles, costal radar and air surveillance. A Houthi official confirmed “raids” in the capital Sanaa along with the cities of Saada and Dhamar as well as in Hodeidah governorate.
The ongoing strikes are one of the most dramatic demonstrations to date of the widening of the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East since its eruption in October. The Houthis, who control most of Yemen, defied a UN and other international calls to halt their missile and drone attacks on Red Sea shipping routes and warnings from the US of consequences if they failed to do so. The Houthis say their attacks are in support of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza. Israel has launched a military assault that has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Since late December, the Houthi have attacked 27 ships, disrupting international commerce on the key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15% of the world’s shipping traffic. The Houthis, who seized much of Yemen in a civil war, vowed to attack ships linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports. The Houthis’ leader said on Thursday any U.S. attack on the group would not go without a response.
(With agency inputs)
Comments
0 comment