United Nations, Jan 24: The spillover of the Israel-Hamas conflict to “the vicinity of India” with attacks on shipping by Houthi rebels has an impact on India’s economic interests, according to Deputy Permanent Representative R. Ravindra.
The conflict’s impact on the safety of commercial shipping in the Indian Ocean “has a direct bearing on India’s own energy and economic interests”, he said on Tuesday at a high-level meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East.
He said some of the attacks were happening “in the vicinity of India” and “this fraught situation is not to the benefit of any party, and this must be clearly recognised,” he said.
Ravindra did not name the Yemeni Houthi rebels who are carrying out the attack or specifically mention the Red Sea around where the incidents have taken place.
The Houthi rebels have said that they are attacking ships as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians under attack from Israel in Gaza.
The Red Sea forms the link for the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal, the main link for India and Asia to areas of the Middle East, Europe and beyond.
India’s Navy has said that it was “surging” its presence in the region and earlier this month one of its ships acted to protect a commercial ship under attack.
France, the president of the Security Council for this month, convened the high-level meeting presided over by Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne with the participation of about 15 foreign ministers, including Russia’s Sergey Lavrov and Iran’s Hossein Amirabdollahian.
UN chief warns of spillover of Gaza war
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of the spillover risks of the war in Gaza.
War and misery in Gaza are fueling turmoil far beyond, he told a high-level open debate of the Security Council on the Middle East on Tuesday, including the Palestinian question.
“We are seeing dangerous developments across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, where tensions are off the charts, with a dramatic increase in casualties,” he was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.
The risks of broader regional escalation are now becoming a reality, warned Guterres. The situation in the Red Sea is also deeply worrying, said the UN chief. (IANS)
