Safeguarding maritime corridors and freedom of navigation is a shared international responsibility grounded in international law and Security Council resolutions, Saudi Arabia told the UN Security Council, warning of the danger the terrorist Houthi militia poses to shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab Al-Mandab Strait and to world trade and supply chains.

The Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Dr. Abdulaziz Alwasil, made the statement at a council session on Houthi threats to navigation in those waters.

Alwasil condemned the militia's attacks on the Kingdom and its targeting of commercial vessels and sea lanes, and reaffirmed Saudi Arabia's right to protect its national security. He pointed to the Kingdom's launch of the Multinational Maritime Defense Alliance to strengthen maritime security and freedom of navigation in the face of growing threats.

He reiterated Saudi support for de-escalation and for a comprehensive, lasting political settlement of the Yemeni crisis, as well as its commitment to Yemen's unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

He urged the international community to live up to its responsibility to protect sea routes, which in turn safeguards world trade and supply chains and supports regional and international security.