Mideast countries voice grave concern after U.S.-led strikes on Yemen

Countries in the Middle East expressed grave concern about the security situation in the Red Sea and called for restraint from all parties after joint overnight strikes led by the United States hit Houthi targets in Yemen, in retaliation for attacks on vessels by the Iran-backed militia in the key waterway.

Houthi military spokesman General Yahya Sarea, in a sternly worded statement on Friday, revealed that 73 raids targeted key areas, including the Yemeni capital Sanaa, as well as the provinces of Hodeidah, Taiz, Hajjah and Saada.

Five people were killed and six others injured in the attack, said Sarea, stressing the "American-British aggression will not go unanswered and unpunished."

In a defiant response on Friday, the Supreme Political Council, the Houthi's top ruling body, declared that "all American and British interests have become legitimate targets."

Earlier in the day, U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed that the United States and its allies had conducted targeted strikes against sites in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

They were launched together with the UK and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, Biden said in a statement, adding they were "in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea."

The internationally recognized government of Yemen on Friday blamed the Houthi rebel group for "dragging the country into confrontation arena."

Strongly condemning the Houthi's recent military operations in international waters, the Yemeni government said the group "misleadingly linking it (its moves) to support for Palestinians."

'All parties should adhere to resolution'

The strikes came after the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday adopted resolution 2722 to condemn the attacks by the Houthi militia on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, an important international trade route for goods and energy.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged all parties involved to adhere to UNSC resolution 2722 following the U.S.-led air strikes on the Houthis.

He reiterated the Security Council's demand from resolution 2722 for the Houthis to "immediately cease all such attacks," underscoring the necessity of full compliance with the resolution.

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said on Friday that the UNSC has never authorized any country to use force against Yemen, adding that relevant countries should not misinterpret or abuse international law and Security Council resolutions to create new tensions in the Red Sea.

The military action exacerbates the security risks in the Red Sea and does not contribute to the protection of the safety of merchant vessels and freedom of navigation, he said.

The strikes could also jeopardize the political process in Yemen, said Zhang. "We don't see how such military operations can achieve their stated objectives."

Countries voice concern

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Friday strongly condemned the military attacks by the United States and the UK on several Yemeni cities.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the strikes as "disproportionate" and said: "It is as if they aspire to turn the Red Sea into a bloodbath."

"Saudi Arabia is following with great concern the military operations in the Red Sea region and the air strikes that a number of sites in Yemen have been subjected to," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on social media on Friday.

The kingdom stressed the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region, where freedom of navigation in the Red Sea should be guaranteed to serve the interests of the world. It called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid escalating the situation.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Friday said the air strikes were "an aggression" against Yemeni sovereignty. The ministry said it believed that "expanding the attack (in the region) on targets does not represent a solution to the problem, but rather will lead to expanding the scope of the war."

In a strongly-worded statement Friday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry said the attack posed a threat to peace and stability in the Red Sea region and its maritime activities.

The attacks were a "desperate attempt" to divert global public opinion from the Israeli military action in Gaza, it added.

(With input from agencies)