UN chief expresses alarm over Houthi strikes

UNITED NATIONS, July 24: The United Nations chief is "deeply alarmed" after Yemen's Houthi rebels struck oil tankers in the Red Sea, his spokesman said Friday, as fears rise of a new front in the Middle East war.

"The attack on commercial vessels, claimed by the Houthis, risks further heightening regional tensions and widening the current cycle of escalation," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres's spokesman said in a statement.

"Further hostilities in Yemen will undermine prospects for peace, and cause serious economic, humanitarian and environmental consequences across and beyond the region."

The United States launched fresh attacks on Iran after the strikes by the Tehran-backed Houthis, marking an escalation that pushed crude prices past $100 a barrel.�"AFP