Missile strikes carried out by the United States and Britain against Yemen’s Shiite Houthi militia (also known as Ansar Allah) have elicited strong reactions from states and groups in and near the Middle East.
Shiite Iran, the Houthis’ principal backer, described the strikes as a “clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a breach of international law.”
Such attacks, Iran’s foreign minister warned, “will only lead to further insecurity and instability in the region.”
Russia, which in recent years has drawn increasingly close to Iran, also condemned the strikes.
“They are illegitimate under international law,” a Kremlin spokesman told reporters.
On the evening of Jan. 11, U.S. and British naval forces struck multiple Houthi targets across Yemen.
According to a Houthi spokesman, five of the group’s fighters were killed by the strikes, which, he said, would “not go without retaliation.”
Launched from both air and sea, the strikes came in response to repeated Houthi attacks on commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea.
Attacks by the Houthis have severely disrupted maritime traffic throughout the region and, by extension, global trade.
Last week, the United States—backed by a host of allied nations—warned the Houthi leadership to halt its attacks or face military action.
U.S. President Joe Biden said the “targeted strikes” on Houthi targets was a “clear message” that the United States and its partners would not allow “hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation.”
The exact toll from the strikes, both human and material, remains unclear.
But according to Britain’s defense ministry, “early indications” suggest that the Houthis’ ability to threaten Red Sea shipping had “taken a blow.”
In a statement, James Heappey, British minister of state for the armed forces, said no further military action was planned—at least for now.
Houthis Defiant
Yemen’s Houthis say their attacks on Red Sea shipping are a response to Israel’s military offensive that has left thousands dead in the Gaza Strip.Following the Allied strikes, spokesmen for the group voiced defiance, vowing to continue targeting ships headed for Israel through the Red Sea.
Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah militia, also backed by Iran, said the strikes “confirm the United States is a partner in the massacres” it claims are taking place in Gaza.
Since early October, Israeli forces and Hezbollah have engaged in almost daily artillery exchanges across the tense Israel-Lebanon border.
Casualties, both civilian and military, have been reported on both sides.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has responded to the strikes on Yemen by urging restraint and warning against further escalation.
“The kingdom emphasizes the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both longstanding U.S. allies, fought the Houthis for several years after the Shiite militia overran much of Yemen in 2014.
But in 2022, Saudi officials began holding talks with the Houthis, ushering in a period of relative calm in the region.
What’s more, Riyadh signed a landmark deal with Tehran last year, ending years of hostility between Shiite Iran and the oil-rich, Sunni-led Gulf kingdom.
Turkey Fears ‘Bloodbath’
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for his part, also appeared to condemn the recent strikes on Yemen, warning the move risked turning the Red Sea into a “bloodbath.”Speaking on Jan. 12, Mr. Erdogan said the U.S.-British strikes represented “a disproportionate use of force.”
He went on to assert that, according to information obtained by Ankara, the Houthis had mounted a “successful defense.”
Under Mr. Erdogan, NATO member Turkey has been a vocal critic of Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza.
“Israel is also using disproportionate force—in Palestine,” the Turkish leader told reporters.
In response to such claims, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that his country was fighting “Hamas terrorists, not the Palestinian population.”
“And we are doing so in full compliance with international law,” he said in televised remarks on Jan. 10.
Israel launched its offensive in early October after a deadly raid by Hamas that left more than 1200 Israelis dead.
The Jewish state has yet to issue an official statement on the U.S.-British strikes on Yemen.
‘Profoundly Destabilizing’
Linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea is a crucial trade route between Asian and European markets.It is said to account for roughly 15 percent of global maritime trade, including significant portions of strategic commodities like grain, oil, and natural gas.
On Jan. 12, oil prices jumped 4 percent, reflecting fears of a widening regional conflict and its potential impact on the supply of Middle Eastern oil.
The Houthis’ repeated attacks have forced shipping companies to reroute much of their cargo around Africa, driving up prices and disrupting global commerce.
In a joint statement released after the strikes, Washington and London described the Houthis’ attacks on Red Sea shipping as “illegal, unacceptable, and profoundly destabilizing.”
“There is no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels,” read the statement, which was also signed by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Bahrain, and five European Union member states.
It added: “Attacks on vessels, including commercial vessels … are a direct threat to the freedom of navigation that serves as the bedrock of global trade in one of the world’s most critical waterways.”
