Iran, Russia decry Houthi strikes; Erdogan: US, UK want to turn Red Sea into ‘bloodbath’
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Iran, Russia decry Houthi strikes; Erdogan: US, UK want to turn Red Sea into ‘bloodbath’
Times of Israel-Jan 12th 2024
Iran and its allies rushed on Friday to condemn the overnight US and British airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that London and Washington were aspiring to turn the Red Sea into a “bloodbath.”
The operation reportedly targeted an airbase, airports and a military camp, and followed weeks of missile and drone attacks by the Yemeni rebels on shipping in the Red Sea, who claimed to act in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group.
The United States and its allies said in a joint statement following the airstrikes that their goal “remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.”
Iran and its allies rushed on Friday to condemn the overnight US and British airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that London and Washington were aspiring to turn the Red Sea into a “bloodbath.”
The operation reportedly targeted an airbase, airports and a military camp, and followed weeks of missile and drone attacks by the Yemeni rebels on shipping in the Red Sea, who claimed to act in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group.
The United States and its allies said in a joint statement following the airstrikes that their goal “remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement that Tehran “strongly condemned the military attacks of the United States and the United Kingdom this morning on several Yemeni cities.”
He said the strikes were “an arbitrary action, a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen, and a violation of international laws and regulations.”
Kanaani warned that the attacks “will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region,” as well as “diverting the world’s attention from the crimes” in Gaza.
The Iranian spokesman also urged the international community to take action “to prevent the spread of war.”
The Houthi rebels — part of the regional Tehran-aligned “axis of resistance” against the US, Israel and their allies — seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and now control large swathes of the country.
Iran and its allies rushed on Friday to condemn the overnight US and British airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that London and Washington were aspiring to turn the Red Sea into a “bloodbath.”
The operation reportedly targeted an airbase, airports and a military camp, and followed weeks of missile and drone attacks by the Yemeni rebels on shipping in the Red Sea, who claimed to act in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group.
The United States and its allies said in a joint statement following the airstrikes that their goal “remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement that Tehran “strongly condemned the military attacks of the United States and the United Kingdom this morning on several Yemeni cities.”
He said the strikes were “an arbitrary action, a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen, and a violation of international laws and regulations.”
Kanaani warned that the attacks “will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region,” as well as “diverting the world’s attention from the crimes” in Gaza.
The Iranian spokesman also urged the international community to take action “to prevent the spread of war.”
The Houthi rebels — part of the regional Tehran-aligned “axis of resistance” against the US, Israel and their allies — seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and now control large swathes of the country.
The attacks by the Houthis have disrupted traffic through the vital Red Sea maritime route, with some companies suspending passage through the area.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists after Friday prayers in Istanbul that “first of all, [the strikes] are not proportional. All of these constitute disproportionate use of force.”
“It is as if they aspire to turn the Red Sea into a bloodbath,” he said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned the attacks on behalf of Russia, which maintains close diplomatic and military ties with the Islamic Republic.
“From the point of view of international law, they are illegitimate,” he said.
“We have repeatedly called on the Houthis to abandon this practice and consider it extremely wrong,” he said.
The Hezbollah and Hamas terror groups, also part of the so-called axis of resistance, have condemned the strikes. Washington has said Iran was “deeply involved” in the Houthis’ maritime attacks, a claim Tehran has denied.
While not outright condemning the attacks, China called for all sides to prevent the conflict from widening.
“China is concerned about the escalation of tensions in the Red Sea,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.
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