Middle East
A US aircraft ready to conduct airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen on January 11, 2024. Photo: Screengrab/CENTCOM
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s foreign ministry on Friday condemned US and UK strikes on Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen, warning against the expansion of the conflict.
“We condemn the aggression against Yemen and its sovereignty. We believe that expanding the scope of targets does not represent a solution to the problem, rather, it will lead to an expansion of the scope of the war,” read a statement from the Iraqi foreign ministry.
The US and UK launched a series of aerial and navy strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the group’s repeated attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The strikes were conducted with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands.
Yemen's Houthis are a pro-Iran militia in control of most of the country, including its capital Sana’a, who have vowed to target all ships on the way to Israel in the Bab al-Mandab strait, disrupting a key trade route, in support of Palestinians under attack by Israeli forces in Gaza.
In the statement, the Iraqi foreign ministry reaffirmed the importance of “preserving freedom of navigation in international waters.”
Since October 17 of last year, the Houthis have “attempted to attack and harass” 27 ships in the international shipping lane, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The Iraqi foreign ministry called on the UN Security Council to put a halt to Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.
“The solution lies in the UN Security Council exercising its responsibilities and issuing a resolution to stop the aggressive and brutal war against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” read the statement.
The US and UK struck five different cities, including the capital Sana’a, 73 times, according to Yahiya al-Saree’, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, who reiterated the group’s commitment to target Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.
“The American and British enemies bear full responsibility for their criminal aggression against our Yemeni people and it will not go unanswered and unpunished,” Saree’ said.
“The Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to target sources of threat and all hostile targets on land and sea to defend Yemen, its sovereignty, and independence,” he added.
In December 2023, over 20 nations agreed to join US-launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, a coalition with the mission of defending commercial traffic in the Red Sea and deterring Houthi attacks.
CENTCOM stated that Thursday’s strikes were conducted separately from the Operation Prosperity Guardian and have no association with the operation.
Iran’s foreign ministry on Friday condemned strikes by the US and the UK, and Russia’s permanent mission to the United Nations, on the same day, requested an urgent Security Council meeting on the matter, while the Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement calling for restraint and “avoiding escalation” following the strikes.
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