ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran’s foreign ministry on Friday condemned strikes by the United States and the United Kingdom targeting the Houthis in Yemen, and Russia’s permanent mission to the United Nations, on the same day, requested an urgent Security Council meeting on the matter.
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.
Kanaani expressed “concern” about “the consequences of such arbitrary attacks on regional and international peace and security” and called for a “responsible” reaction and action from the international community to “prevent the spread of war, instability, and insecurity in the region.”
Russia’s permanent mission to the United Nations on Friday requested an urgent meeting of the Security Council over the US and the United Kingdom’s strikes targeting the Houthis in Yemen.
"Russia has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on January 12 in connection with the U.S. and UK strikes on Yemen," Russia's permanent mission to the UN said on their official Telegram channel.
Russia’s mission to the UN is set to hold a briefing regarding the strikes on Friday afternoon.
The Houthis on Friday on Friday described the attacks as a “blatant act of protection for Israel and an attempt to halt Yemen's operations in support of Gaza.”
“We affirm that there is absolutely no justification for this aggression on Yemen, as it posed no threat to international navigation in the Red and Arabian Seas,” Mohammed Abdulsalam, the Houthis’ spokesperson said on X.
Abdulsalam said that the group will continue to target Israeli ships and ships that head towards the ports of Israel.
“The targeting was and will continue to be aimed at Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine,” he said.
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 US and UK strikes come hours after CENTCOM said in a statement on X that the Houthis fired anti-ship ballistic missiles into the international shipping lanes, two days after the group’s largest attack.
