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UAE condemns Houthi attacks on ships in int'l waters

Xinhua, October 13, 2016 Adjust font size:

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Abu Dhabi expressed on Thursday its "deepest condemnation and concern" over the repeated assaults on ships in international waters which it said were executed by the Shiite Houthi rebels, UAE state news agency WAM reported.

The ministry said the attacks by Houthi rebels were "an apparent attempt to target the freedom of navigation and to inflame the situation in the region, particularly in Yemen."

It said "targeting of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Mason is a recurring escalation which began with the attack on the UAE civilian ship 'Swift'."

The Swift high-speed logistics vessel was hit off Yemen on Oct. 1st by an anti-ship missile fired by the Houthis, said the UAE.

The USS Navy ship Mason was attacked with missiles on Sunday and Wednesday. Yemen's dominant Shiite Houthi rebels on Thursday denied targeting the U.S. warship off the Yemeni coasts from territories they control, Houthi-controlled Saba news agency reported.

The UAE ministry, in its statement, described the response of the U.S. Navy on Thursday morning, in targeting the Houthi radar sites, as a "legitimate response to repeated and unprovoked attacks backed by rebel forces."

The UAE ministry said these serious developments threaten international navigation by targeting vessels crossing the Strait of Bab al-Mandeb.

The ministry also stressed the urgent need to push for a political solution backed by the United Nations, which, in turn, "will restore Yemen's security and stability."

The Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Shiite Houthi rebels in Yemen since March 2015, trying to restore the internationally recognized government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

International efforts and talks between the war parties have been so far fruitless. Endit