A Houthi official named Mohammed Abdulsalam has warned that the attacks by Washington and London on Houthi targets will instead pull them into a quagmire in the region.
He made these remarks in response to a recent attack on Houthis.
US and UK forces jointly struck the Houthis on Saturday, February 3, 2024, night, the third time since the group started its attacks on ships off Yemen in solidarity with Gaza.
Saturday’s strikes hit “36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen”, the US, the UK and other countries that provided support for the operation said in a statement.
Houthi military Spokesperson, Yahya Saree said the capital, Sanaa, and other rebel-held areas were targeted.
Saree reported a total of 48 air raids and said on X that “these attacks will not deter us from our … stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip” where Israel’s war has raged since early October.
British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak posted on X, “Recent attacks on UK and international vessels are unacceptable.”
“It’s our duty to protect innocent lives and preserve freedom,” he added on X.
Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary, David Cameron slammed the Houthis as “reckless”, saying their “attacks must stop”.
He said the actions of the Houthis have been “putting innocent lives at risk, threatening the freedom of navigation and destabilising the region.”
Cameron added that the UK government issued repeated warnings to the Houthis to stop their attacks on ships that sail off Yemen.
While issuing his warning, Abdulsalam affirmed that “Yemen’s decision to support Gaza is firm, principled and will not be affected by any attack.”
Abdulsalam asserted that instead of “escalating and opening a new war front in the region,” America and Britain should listen to international public opinion, “which is calling for an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression, lifting the siege on Gaza, and ending protection to Israel at the expense of the Palestinian people.”
“It must be emphasised that the aggressive raids, whether on our country or on Iraq and Syria, will fan the flames of hatred of our people and unite them against the American colonial presence in the region,” he added.
U.S, UK Attacks On Yemen Slammed
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad “strongly condemned” the continuation of the US-UK aggression on Yemen.
The group said in a statement on Telegram that these attacks seek to ignite the region and expand the circle of fire.
“We affirm that Washington and Western capitals are still managing the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and providing it with political and economic cover and military support,” it said.
Iran also denounced the latest US and UK strikes on targets in Yemen, saying that they “contradict” their declared intention of avoiding a wider Middle East conflict.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Nasser Kanaani said in a statement that these attacks are “in clear contradiction with the repeated claims of Washington and London that they do not want the expansion of war and conflict in the region.”
He accused the U.S and the UK of “fuelling chaos, disorder, insecurity and instability” by supporting Israel in its war on Gaza.
Meanwhile, UK Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps denied that air raids carried out by the U.S and the UK on Yemen are an escalation.
“We acted alongside our U.S allies, with the support of many international partners, in self-defence and in accordance with international law,” Shapps said.
“This is not an escalation. We have already successfully targeted launchers and storage sites involved in Houthi attacks, and I am confident that our latest strikes have further degraded the Houthis’ capabilities.”
Grant Shapps
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