UN Chief calls on all sides not to escalate volatile situation in Red Sea

UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all sides “not to escalate” the volatile situation in the Red Sea, his spokesman said  after Washington and London launched strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The barrage of strikes early on Friday against the Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Gaza, follow weeks of disruptive rebel attacks on Red Sea shipping and have stoked fears of the Israel-Hamas war spreading regionwide.
“The Secretary-General further calls on all parties involved not to escalate even more the situation in the interest of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the wider region,” said Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Later, Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, told the UN Security Council “we are witnessing the cycle of violence that risks grave political security, economic and humanitarian repercussions in Yemen and the region.”
“These developments in the Red Sea and the risk of exacerbating regional tensions are alarming,” he said.
Russia’s ambassador to the UN called the joint US-UK strikes on Yemen’s Houthis “blatant armed aggression against another country.”