The U.S. military has struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that reportedly put commercial ships in the Red Sea at risk. This was said by two U.S. officials and confirmed by Yemeni rebel media.
The media of the Yemeni Houthi rebels confirmed the new attacks in Yemen at dawn today, in the aftermath of the first American and British bombings against the sites of the movement that is threatening international maritime traffic in the Red Sea.
According to the al-Masirah channel, this morning American strikes targeted at least one site in the capital Sanaa. After yesterday's British and American attacks, the Houthis launched "at least one missile" which, however, did not hit any ships, the US military said.
Russia has denounced the "blatant aggression" by the US and the UK on the territory of Yemen. "This is the armed aggression of a group of countries against another country, and it has nothing in common with self-defense," Moscow's ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said at the urgent meeting of the Security Council. Nebenzia accused the U.S. and Britain of violating Article 2 of the UN Charter with their expedition to Yemen against Houthi bases, which calls on members to refrain from using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.
The stages of the escalation in the Middle East The raids by the United States and the United Kingdom on the Houthi bases in Yemen are the latest development in a war that since October 7, the day of the Hamas attacks in Israel, has seen a widening of tensions in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Red Sea. (ANSA)
Iran's representative office to the UN also condemned the US and UK military operations against the Houthis, in response to the Yemeni group's attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The actions of the two countries are illegal and are not authorized, according to international law, the office in Tehran said last night, adding: "Such an unjustified war violates Yemen's sovereignty, international law, the UN Charter and Security Council resolutions, and endangers the peace and security of the region."
Already yesterday morning, the spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanani, had "strongly condemned the attacks".
The war expands, US-UK raids on the Houthis in Yemen
After weeks of warnings that went unheeded, retaliation has arrived. Overnight, the United States and Britain launched 73 raids against Houthi military positions in Yemen, which in turn attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea "linked to Israel" in solidarity, they said, with Palestinians in Gaza. This could be the first act of the much-feared escalation of the conflict in the Middle East: the Yemeni rebels - who, supported by Iran, control a third of the country - have threatened to respond and announced that they now consider all Anglo-American interests in the world "legitimate targets".
The mission, conducted by fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles deployed by Washington and four British RAF Typhoon jets, hit "launch sites for missiles and drones" used against merchant ships in the Red Sea. According to the Houthi spokesman, military positions were targeted in the capital Sanaa and in the governorates of Hodeidah, Taëz, Hajjah and Saada, with a toll of "five fighters dead and six wounded".
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The order to attack came from Joe Biden after yet another Yemeni missile on Thursday hit a ship in transit. The American president then explained that he wanted to give a response to the Houthis for having "jeopardized the freedom of navigation in one of the most vital waterways in the world" and that he was ready to "order other operations". We have sent "a strong signal" to the Houthis, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also commented while visiting Kyiv. Since last November, the former Shiite rebels now in power have launched 27 attacks in the Red Sea, a stretch of sea usually crossed by 12% of global trade: cargo ships have therefore been forced to divert the route that passes through the Suez Canal to the south of the African continent, with repercussions on the timing of supplies, production and rising prices. The latest missile, fired just hours after the raids, fell into the water a few hundred yards from a ship, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
To learn more, Agenzia ANSA The US warns Italy, 'but did not ask to participate in raids' Tajani, 'it would be unconstitutional'. E thinks of a new mission
"Our goal remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea," the United States, the United Kingdom and eight of their allies: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea said in a joint statement. Italian government sources said Rome had been asked to sign the same declaration - which it did not sign - but not to participate in the action. While the European Union is considering sending "at least three destroyers or anti-aircraft frigates with multi-mission capabilities" to the Red Sea for at least "a year" with rules of engagement yet to be decided.
The night raids on Yemen have been condemned by the so-called 'axis of resistance' which, supported by Iran, brings together anti-Israeli movements such as the Houthis, the Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas itself, which has called the action "a provocation against the Palestinian nation" and threatened "consequences". Tehran accused the U.S. and the U.K. of conducting "arbitrary action" and making "a strategic mistake," as did Russia, which denounced "a destructive escalation," calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council. "They want a bloodbath in the Red Sea," Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan also reacted, accusing London and Washington of a "disproportionate use of force."
"Concern" was expressed by Saudi Arabia - which since 2015 has led a coalition of Arab countries against the Houthis in favor of an allied government - and by China, which had mediated between the Saudis and Iranians for a ceasefire in Yemen. An appeal to "reduce instability in the region" also came from Egypt, which is already engaged in an attempt to resurrect an indirect negotiation between Israel and Hamas, and which derives both revenues from commercial transit through the Suez Canal and tourist revenues from the Red Sea.
The stages of the escalation in the Middle East The raids by the United States and the United Kingdom on the Houthi bases in Yemen are the latest development in a war that since October 7, the day of the Hamas attacks in Israel, has seen a widening of tensions in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Red Sea. (ANSA)
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