YEMEN – Iran on Friday condemned strikes in Yemen by US and British forces, saying that the attacks against Tehran-backed Houthi rebels were ‘arbitrary’ and a ‘violation’ of international law.
US and British forces launched the overnight strikes following weeks of missile and drone attacks by Houthi forces on vessels in the Red Sea, claiming to act in solidarity with Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.
Iran
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani 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.’
The United States and its allies said in a joint statement following the air strikes on Houthi targets that their goal ‘remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.’
The attacks by the Houthis have disrupted traffic through the vital maritime route, with some companies suspending passage through the area.
Kanani 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, where Israel has been fighting the Palestinian territory’s Hamas rulers.
The Iranian spokesman urged the international community to take action ‘to prevent the spread of war.’
Hamas
Condemning the strikes, Hamas said in a statement that the US and UK governments will bear responsibility for their attack’s impacts on the security of the region.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad
The Gaza-based Palestinian group Islamic Jihad has said that the escalation confirms that the US administration is ‘waging a war of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza’.
‘We call on the people of the Arab and Islamic nation to take action in rejection of the aggression against Yemen, which rose up in defence of Gaza and the holy places of Muslims in Palestine.’
Saudi Arabia
The foreign ministry called for restraint and ‘avoiding escalation’ after the strikes and said it was monitoring the situation with ‘great concern’.
‘The kingdom emphasizes the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region, as the freedom of navigation in it is an international demand,’ it said.
NATO
‘These strikes were defensive, and designed to preserve freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways. The (Houthi) attacks must end,’ said Dylan White, a spokesperson for the military alliance.
Hezbollah
The Lebanese group, Hezbollah, which is an ally of Iran and the Houthis, said the US aggression confirms that Washington is in ‘full partnership’ with Israel.
‘The US is a full partner in the tragedies and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza and the region,’ a statement from the group said.
Russia
Russia said the strikes violate international law and wrongly take advantage of a United Nations Security Council resolution that had demanded the Houthis stop their attacks on shipping lanes.
‘The US air strikes on Yemen are another example of the Anglo-Saxons’ perversion of UN Security Council resolutions,’ said Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry spokesperson.
Zakharova said the strikes showed a ‘complete disregard for international law’ and were ‘escalating the situation in the region’.
Oman
Oman denounced the military action from ‘friendly countries’, state media reported. Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the attack went against his country’s advice and will only add fuel to an extremely dangerous situation.
Denmark
Denmark fully supports the US and British strikes, according to a statement by Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.
The Netherlands
‘The US-British action is based on the right of self-defence, aims to protect free passage and is focused on de-escalation. The Netherlands, with its long history as a sea-faring country, places significant importance on the right of free passage and supports this targeted operation,’ said Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
Germany
Germany’s foreign office said the strikes were meant to prevent further attacks.
‘Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea,’ the ministry posted on X.
Belgium
Belgium is working with its partners in the European Union and the United States to restore security in the Red Sea region and avoid any spillover, Belgium’s foreign minister Hadja Lahbib said on X.
‘The ongoing attacks by the Houthis are a real danger for the stability of the region and represent an escalation that benefits no one,’ she wrote.
France
France reaffirmed its condemnation of Houthi strikes on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, calling for an immediate stop to them.
‘With those armed actions, the Houthis bear the extremely serious responsibility of the escalation in the region,’ the French foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.
Jordan
Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said: ‘The Israeli aggression on Gaza and its continued committing of war crimes against the Palestinian people and violating international law with impunity are responsible for the rising tensions witnessed in the region.’
The stability of the region and its security were closely tied, Safadi said, according to state media.
‘The international community is at a humanitarian, moral, legal and security crossroads,’ he added.
‘Either it shoulders its responsibilities and ends Israel’s arrogant aggression and protects civilians, or allows Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist ministers to drag us to a regional war that threatens world peace.’
US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
McConnell welcomed the US-led coalition’s operations against ‘the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists responsible for violently disrupting international commerce in the Red Sea and attacking American vessels’.
‘President Biden’s decision to use military force against these Iranian proxies is overdue. I am hopeful these operations mark an enduring shift in the Biden administration’s approach to Iran and its proxies,’ he said.
Democratic US Representative Ro Khanna
Khanna said that President Joe Biden ‘needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another Middle East conflict’.
‘That is Article I of the Constitution. I will stand up for that regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican is in the White House.’
Democratic US Representative Val Hoyle
Hoyle stressed that ‘the air strikes have not been authorised by Congress’.
‘The Constitution is clear – Congress has the sole authority to authorize military involvement in overseas conflicts. Every president must first come to Congress and ask for military authorisation, regardless of party.’
British MP Jeremy Corbyn
British Member of Parliament and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said the military action was ‘a reckless act of escalation that will only cause more death and suffering’.
‘It is utterly disgraceful that Parliament has not even been consulted. When will we learn from our mistakes and realise that war is not the answer?’, Corbyn wrote on X.
British MP Diane Abbott
British independent member of parliament Diane Abbott said that at a time when the UK government should be backing a ceasefire in Gaza, it was instead sending ‘jet fighters to back the US against the Houthis’.
‘No parliamentary approval and no idea where it will all end,’ Abbott said on X.
The Israel-Hamas war erupted on October 7 with attacks by Palestinian militants on southern Israel, resulting in about 1,140 deaths, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Iran, which supports Hamas financially and militarily, has hailed the attack but denied any involvement.
Israel has responded with a relentless military campaign that has killed more than 23,000 people in the besieged Gaza Strip, the majority of them women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
