The United Nations Security Council has never empowered any country to use force against Yemen, China’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Zhang Jun, said at a meeting of its Security Council.
“We also emphasise that the Council has never authorised any country to use force against Yemen, so not a single country is allowed to twist international law or UN Security Council resolutions to stir up new tensions in the Red Sea,” he stated.
Continuous Escalation Fuels Conflict
Furthermore, Zhang Jun noted that the Red Sea crisis had been made worse by “some countries’ military moves against Yemen” and the continuous escalation.
Jerrymusa.com reports that the Chinese envoy urged people not to misunderstand the resolutions of the UN Security Council and not to incite new flashpoints of conflict when making comments earlier on the US and UK strikes on Yemen.
The Ansar Allah movement issued a warning after the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza Strip escalated, threatening to launch strikes on Israeli territory and prevent any ships connected to the Jewish state from passing via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea until the operation in the Palestinian territory is over.
The Houthis have assaulted numerous civilian ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since mid-November 2023.
US and UK aircraft, naval vessels, and submarines launched their first coordinated attacks against Ansar Allah installations in several Yemeni cities, including Hodeidah and Sanaa, on January 12. Targets included radiolocation systems, drones, and Houthi missile sites.