Yemen Stresses its Sovereign Right, Holds Houthis Responsible for Escalation

The Houthi militias continue to threaten ships in the Red Sea. (AFP)
The Houthi militias continue to threaten ships in the Red Sea. (AFP)
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Yemen Stresses its Sovereign Right, Holds Houthis Responsible for Escalation

The Houthi militias continue to threaten ships in the Red Sea. (AFP)
The Houthi militias continue to threaten ships in the Red Sea. (AFP)

The internationally recognized Yemeni government held the Houthis fully responsible for turning the country into an “arena of confrontation” amid the Iran-backed militias’ attacks against Red Sea shipping, prompting western strikes against them.

In an official statement, the government said it was “following with great concern the military escalation in the country and the southern Red Sea, the most recent of which was the military operation in response to the Houthi militias’ continued targeting of the security and safety of international navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait...”

The government held the Houthis responsible for dragging the country into a military confrontation for propaganda purposes, which “have no real connection to supporting occupied Palestine.”

It stressed that it maintains the sovereign right to boost the security and safety of the Red Sea by restoring the legitimate state institutions.

The statement criticized some of the international community’s policies towards Yemen, saying they helped in strengthening the control of the Houthi militias and encouraged them to commit more hostile acts that today represent a threat to the security and stability of the entire world.

The government also renewed its firm position on the just Palestinian cause, demanding an end to the brutal Israeli aggression in the occupied territories and the fast delivery of humanitarian aid to the people, while warning of the repercussions of the war on international peace and security.

Elsewhere in Yemen, positions on the western strikes varied.

Yemeni writer and researcher Hamdan Al-Aly held the Houthis responsible and said that for more than 20 years, they have been killing Yemenis and destroying the country under the pretext of fighting America.

Journalist Nassim Al-Baini said the Houthis have dragged Yemen into an international war. He recalled the Presidential Leadership Council’s repeated warning against the consequences and repercussions of “terrorist attacks” in the Red Sea, and its assertion that these actions divert the world’s attention away from Israel’s aggressions against the Palestinians.

Majed Al-Madhaji, head of the Sanaa Center for Studies, said the US-British strikes will not undermine the Houthis’ ability to threaten the Red Sea. He explained that the scope and level of strikes would increase depending on the Houthi response.

In contrast to these positions, a number of journalists and activists affiliated with Al-Islah party opposed the US-British airstrikes, deeming them a violation of national sovereignty.

Writer and political analyst Nabil Al-Bakiri said any American-British raids targeting Houthi-controlled areas are an “aggression” against all of Yemen and a violation of its sovereignty.



Four Bodies, Four Survivors Recovered from Egypt Red Sea Sinking, Says Governor

Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
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Four Bodies, Four Survivors Recovered from Egypt Red Sea Sinking, Says Governor

Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)
Sea Story had no technical problems, obtained all required permits prior to the trip, and was last checked for naval safety in March. (Red Sea Governorate on Facebook)

Rescuers on Tuesday recovered four bodies and four survivors a day after a diving boat capsized off Egypt's eastern coast, Red Sea governor Amr Hanafi said, with eight people still missing.

Among the survivors were two Belgians, one Swiss national and one Egyptian, the governor said, bringing the total number of survivors from the vessel to 32. The four dead have not yet been identified and eight people remain missing.

"Rescue operations are ongoing today, supported by a military helicopter and a frigate in addition to multiple divers," Hanafi told AFP.

The vessel was carrying 31 tourists of multiple nationalities and a 13-member crew when it was hit by a large wave early on Monday, leading it to capsize near Marsa Alam in southeastern Egypt. The "Sea Story" had embarked on a multi-day diving trip on Sunday and had been due to dock on Friday at the town of Hurghada, 200 kilometres (124 miles) north.

The governor on Monday said the boat had sunk within 5-7 minutes of its impact with the wave, leaving some passengers -- among them European, Chinese and American tourists -- unable to escape their cabins in time.

- Survivors -

Rescuers from the military and a passing tourist boat had pulled 28 people from the waters on Monday. According to a source at a hospital in Marsa Alam, six tourists and three Egyptians were admitted with minor injuries and discharged on Monday.

The tourists included "two Germans, two Britons, one Spaniard and one Swiss national," the hospital administrator told AFP, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

According to the governor's office, the boat was carrying tourists from Belgium, Britain, China, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.

Among the missing are two Polish and two Finnish tourists, according to both countries' foreign ministries.

Authorities have said the vessel was fully licensed and had passed all its inspection checks. A preliminary investigation showed no technical fault.

The Marsa Alam area experienced at least two similar boat accidents earlier this year but there were no fatalities. The Red Sea coast is a major tourist destination in Egypt, a country of 107 million that is in the grip of a serious economic crisis.

Nationally, the tourism sector employs two million people and generates more than 10 percent of its GDP.

Dozens of dive boats crisscross between Red Sea coral reefs and islands off Egypt's eastern coast every day, where safety regulations are robust but unevenly enforced.

Earlier this month, 30 people were rescued from a sinking dive boat near the Red Sea's Daedalus reef. In June, two dozen French tourists were evacuated safely before their boat sank in a similar accident.

Last year, three British tourists died when a fire broke out on their yacht.