Red Sea crisis: Houthis promise not to target European ships; UNSC condemns Saudi attacks
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Red Sea crisis: Houthis promise not to target European ships; UNSC condemns Saudi attacks")
Container ships are seen anchored near the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb off Yemen's coast in the Gulf of Aden on August 6, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
According to a report, Yemen's Houthis have assured the EU that they will not target European ships in the Red Sea, saying their ongoing offensive is focused on Saudi Arabia and will not disrupt freedom of navigation through the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have told the European Union that they will not target European ships in the Red Sea, even as the group seeks to strengthen its control over the key Bab al Mandeb Strait, the Financial Times reported.
The Houthis sent a letter this month to the EU's foreign and security policy arm, saying their offensive along Yemen's southern coast was not aimed at disrupting international shipping, FT reported, citing two diplomats briefed on the matter.
The diplomats said the group also assured the EU that its actions would not affect freedom of navigation through the Bab al Mandeb. The waterway connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
According to the report, the group has sought to present the conflict as being limited to Saudi Arabia rather than targeting international shipping more widely.
The letter came as container shipping companies increased services through the Suez Canal. This pushed the number of vessels travelling through the Bab al Mandeb to its highest level in almost three years.
One of the diplomats said the Houthis sent the letter to the EU's diplomatic service on September 10, the same day the rebels seized the Yemeni port of Mocha.
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The development comes as the group continues to expand its control along Yemen's Red Sea coast, including areas close to the strategic waterway.
Also Read: Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan to hold urgent military talks amid intensifying Houthi attacks
UNSC condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council on Friday condemned the increasing attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels on Saudi Arabia in a rare show of unity by the UN's top body.
The Houthis have imposed a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, attacking tankers and Saudi territory while seizing parts of Yemen's Red Sea coast. The area is important for Saudi oil exports, while the attacks have also pushed energy prices higher.
"The members of the Security Council condemned, in the strongest terms, continued Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including attacks impacting civilian and energy infrastructure, which have resulted in the injury of civilians, including women and children," said the rotating president of the Council, French UN envoy Jerome Bonnafont, delivering a joint statement.
The Security Council "further stressed the importance of acting in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and of upholding navigation rights and freedoms."
The body "demanded the Houthis immediately cease their military escalation and their attacks impacting civilians and civilian objects," according to the statement.
