US-led strikes spark outrage in the Middle East
Many in the Middle East, including some U.S. allies, condemned the American-led airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday, warning that they risked sparking a broader conflict in the region.
The attacks came after a series of Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis have said they are targeting Israeli ships and vessels bound for Israel in an effort to support Palestinians in Gaza, who have been under brutal Israeli bombardment for nearly 100 days, although some Houthi targets have no clear connection to Israel have had.
More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli military offensive in Gaza since October 7, according to the Israeli Health Ministry. The Israeli war came in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the armed group that controls Gaza, which Israeli officials say killed some 1,200 people.
A Houthi spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Salam, said on social media that the group would remain on Gaza’s side. He said there was no justification for the attacks on Yemen because its actions do not threaten international shipping, and pledged that the group would continue to target Israeli ships and ships bound for Israel.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mr Abdul Salam indicated that Houthi forces would retaliate against the US attacks, saying: “Now the response will undoubtedly be broader.”
Hamas and Hezbollah, which like the Houthis are backed by Iran, also condemned the attacks. Hamas called them a “terrorist act,” a violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and “a threat to the security of the region.”
Nasser Kanani, a spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, denounced the strikes as “a violation of international laws” and said they “will have no other result than fueling insecurity and instability in the region.”
Even close U.S. ally Oman, which often mediates between the Houthis and international parties, expressed concern, reflecting fears that the American-led move would not deter the Houthis but would only fuel regional conflict.
“It is impossible not to denounce that an allied country has resorted to this military action, while Israel continues to cross all borders in its bombing, brutal war and siege of Gaza without any consequence,” the ministry said. Foreign Affairs of Oman in a statement.
In Bahrain, another US ally, people took to the streets on Friday to protest their country’s involvement in the military coalition, according to Bahraini activists who shared photos of the demonstrations. Amid popular anger over its participation in the coalition, the Bahraini government has not independently acknowledged its role but was mentioned in the joint statement announcing the strikes.
Vivian Nereim And Leily Nikounazar reporting contributed.