‘Reckless’ Houthi Red Sea campaign harming Yemenis, Palestinians: US special envoy

LONDON: Continuing Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea are “misplaced, reckless and indiscriminate,” the US special envoy for Yemen said on Wednesday during a briefing attended by Arab News.

Timothy Lenderking added that the Houthis’ activities are harming both ordinary Yemenis and Palestinians, who they claim to be acting in support of.

In a briefing from Muscat following a meeting with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al-Busaidi, and having spent the previous day in Riyadh, Lenderking said Houthi attacks are preventing aid from reaching Palestinians, as well as disrupting global trade.

He added that as well as international shipping entering the Suez Canal, traffic at the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah is also being affected, down 15 percent this year, hindering the flow of essential goods into the country.

Lenderking said ongoing military activity in the region is disrupting local industries, especially fishing, which is having an additional impact on the local economy and is having a detrimental effect on wildlife.

“The Houthis claim to be helping the Palestinians but are hurting them,” he added. “We all want Yemen to be a source of stability for the region.”

Houthi attacks “must stop so we can direct our attention back to the (Yemeni) peace process and to turn our attention to Palestine and the two-state solution,” he said, adding that “Houthi recklessness” is being facilitated by Iran, which is “sowing instability across the region” and “continues to enable these attacks, providing weapons and (is a) leading sponsor of terrorism.”