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.
