UN security council members warn Houthis against attacks

The news: UN security council members have warned Houthi rebels against making further attacks on shipping containers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, to avoid the risk of Yemen being "dragged into a regional conflagration."

The numbers: Since 19 November last year the Houthi rebels have launched drone and missile attacks on 20 container ships, which they claimed were aligned with Israel, according to Reuters. They have also taken crews hostage. The Red Sea handles about 12% of world trade and is a key waterway in global energy supply chains.

The context: The Houthi rebels say their attacks are in solidarity with the people of Palestine, which have been under bombardment by the Israeli military in response to Hamas' invasion of Israel on 7 October. The call from the UN security council members came hours after a joint statement from 13 countries including Australia and the US, which called the attacks "illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilising."

What they said: "The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways," the statement signed by US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Singapore governments read.