OGUN, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Russia has condemned the United States and the United Kingdom on Friday for their military actions in Yemen, calling them an irresponsible venture that could destabilize the entire Middle East.
In response to the movement backed by Iran attacking ships in the Red Sea since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, the United States and Britain launched air and naval strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
Russia, a significant Arab ally and Iran’s ally, demanded an urgent UN Security Council meeting on Friday to address the matter.
“We strongly condemn these irresponsible actions by the United States and its allies,” Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, told reporters.
“A large-scale military escalation in the Red Sea region could strike out the positive trends that have emerged recently in the Yemeni settlement process, as well as provoke a destabilisation of the situation throughout the Middle East.”
Russia, which has been criticized for what the West says is an illegal war in Ukraine, said the attack on Yemen took place without any mandate from the United Nations and was thus an illegal “adventure” by the United States and its allies.
Russia and China abstained on Wednesday from a U.N. Security Council resolution that demanded the Houthis immediately cease their attacks on shipping and noted the right of U.N. member states “to defend their vessels from attack, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms”.
“You know that a (U.N.) resolution was adopted, we abstained, and the countries that carried out the strike attempted to provide an international legal basis for their actions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
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“This attempt was unsuccessful, because the adopted resolution does not provide any right to carry out strikes, and, accordingly, from the point of view of international law, they are illegitimate.”
Russia said it shared the concerns of Saudi Arabia and others in the region over the strikes. Riyadh called for restraint and “avoiding escalation” after the strikes and said it was monitoring the situation with great concern.
“We share the concerns expressed by our regional partners, in particular from Saudi Arabia,” Zakharova said. Iran has also condemned the U.S.-led strikes as illegal and escalatory.
The U.S. said Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands supported the operation, and presented the strikes as part of an international effort to restore the free flow of trade in a key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15% of the world’s shipping traffic.
A spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis said there was no justification for the U.S.-British attack and said the group will continue targeting ships heading towards Israel.
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According to Reuters, Russia will convene an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting on Jan. 12 due to the attacks by the U.S. and its allies onĀ Houthi targetsĀ in Yemen.
āRussia has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on Jan. 12 in connection with the U.S. and UK strikes on Yemen,ā Russia’s permanent mission to the United Nations said.
The meeting is scheduled to take place on Jan. 12 at 5:00 p.m. EET.
Yemeni Houthis increased their attacks on ships in the Red Sea following Israel’s start of an operation in the Gaza Strip in reaction to attacks by Palestinian Hamas militants. To support Palestine, the Houthis threatened on 9 December, to attack all ships passing through the Red Sea to Israel.
On 3 December, the Houthis attacked an American military vessel and struck multiple commercial ships.
In response to the Houthi assaults on vessels in the Red Sea, the U.S. and UK initiated air and sea strikes against Houthi military sites in Yemen. This action represents a significant escalation of the conflict that originated with the Israel-Hamas confrontation in Gaza.
The U.S. and UK began striking Houthi bases in Yemen, on the night of 11-12 January.Ā The attack was confirmed by U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
An official for the Houthis in Yemen said that the U.S. and UK strikes were unnecessary and that the group, which is backed by Iran, will continue to attack ships that are traveling to Israel, according to Reuters.
On 10 January, a British destroyer and American military vessels stopped the biggest attack in the Red Sea by the Yemeni Houthis.
Source: Yahoonews