Iran and other Middle Eastern allies, as well as at least one U.S. ally, spoke out against Friday’s U.S.-led airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, saying they could lead to a bigger battle in the area.
The attacks came after a string of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea on ships. The Houthis say they are attacking Israeli ships and ships going to Israel to help the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who have been under constant Israeli airstrikes for almost 100 days. However, some of the targets the Houthis have hit have had no clear link to Israel.
The Gaza Health Ministry says that since October 7, Israel’s armed offensive in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 Palestinians living there. Israeli officials say that the war happened because of an attack on October 7 by Hamas, the armed group that runs Gaza. The attack killed about 1,200 people.
Mohammed Abdul Salam, a spokesman for the Houthis, said on social media that the group would stay with Gaza. He said that the attacks on Yemen were unnecessary because the Houthis’ actions did not pose a danger to international shipping. He also promised that the group would keep attacking Israeli ships and ships going to Israel.
Al Jazeera interviewed Abdul Salam, who said, “Now, the response is without a doubt going to be wider.” He was indicating that Houthi forces would respond to the U.S. strikes.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah, which are backed by Iran like the Houthis, spoke out against the strikes. So far, Hamas has called them a “act of terrorism,” a “attack on the sovereignty of Yemen,” and “a threat to the security of the region.”
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanani, called the strikes “a violation of international laws” and said they “will have no result other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region.”
Even a close U.S. friend, Oman, which often acts as a go-between for the Houthis and other countries, showed worry. Its criticism showed that people were afraid that the action led by the U.S. would not stop the Houthis but would instead make things worse in the area.
The Foreign Ministry of Oman said in a statement, “It is impossible not to condemn the fact that an ally country took this military action while Israel continues to break all the rules with its bombing, brutal war, and siege on Gaza with no consequences.”
Bahrain is another ally of the United States. On Friday, people there protested their country’s membership in the military alliance, according to activists who shared photos of the events. People are angry that Bahrain is part of the group, but the government hasn’t said anything about it on its own. It was named in the joint statement that announced the strikes, though.
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