G7 Emphasized Need for “Free and Open” Order in Red Sea

At the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Capri, Italy, a special session was devoted to the escalating tensions in the Red Sea. The G7 condemned attacks by Yemeni Houthis on ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and agreed to “continue to work together on a solution in the Red Sea.”

The foreign ministers said the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as maritime regions, including the Indian Ocean, South China Sea, and East China Sea, are vital routes connecting Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Japanese diplomatic chief Yoko Kamikawa emphasized that security there “directly affects supply chains and influences the global economy.”

In the past two weeks, the Yemeni Houthi movement, actively supported by Iran, has carried out 14 attacks on 8 ships not only in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but has also extended its area of operations to the Indian Ocean. The Yemeni movement has attacked a total of 98 ships and vessels since it began its subversive actions last November. Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthis) group, said in a televised address that the last 14 attacks were carried out using 36 missiles and drones. “In the past two weeks, we have attacked eight vessels affiliated with our enemies, bringing the total number of vessels attacked to 98,” al-Houthi said. The Houthis recently announced that they are part of the so-called “Axis of Islamic Resistance” and draw inspiration from Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which international analysts say provides them with military expertise.