Aden - 12 countries including US, UK,Canada, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Japan, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand issued a warning statement ,Wednesday evening, to the Houthi rebels in Yemen that they “will bear the consequences if they continue to threaten navigation in the Red Sea.

They added in a joint statement, " As the attacks continue , including the major escalation over the past week that targeted commercial ships with missiles and small boats, and attempts to hijack them, we repeat and warn the Houthis against launching more attacks." 

They mentioned that the ongoing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea are illegal, unacceptable, lead to significant destabilization, there is no legal justification for deliberately targeting civilian ships and naval vessels.

The countries stressed In their statement , that attacks on ships, including commercial ones, using drones, small boats and missiles, including the first use of anti-ship ballistic missiles, constitute a direct threat to freedom of navigation, which forms the basis of global trade in one of the most dangerous waterways in the world.

These Countries stressed in the statement that these attacks threaten lives of innocent people from all over the world and represent a major international problem that requires collective action , pointed out that approximately 15% of global seaborne trade passes through the Red Sea, including 8% of global grain trade, 12% of seaborne oil trade, and 8% of world liquefied natural gas trade.

They explained that international shipping companies continue to redirect their ships to Alraja' Alsaalih, adding significant cost and weeks of delay in the delivery of goods, and endangering the movement of food, fuel and vital humanitarian aid around the world.

These 12 countries sent a message to the Houthis, saying, “Let our message now be clear. We call for an immediate cessation of these illegal attacks and the release of illegally detained ships and their crews. The Houthis will bear responsibility for the consequences if they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and the free flow of trade in vital waterways in the Region".

“We remain committed to the rules-based international order, and are determined to hold malicious actors accountable for unlawful seizures and attacks,” they concluded.

Earlier, Yemen's Houthi rebels announced the implementation of a targeting operation against a ship that was heading to Israel after it refused to respond to calls.