In pics | US-UK strikes against Houthis spark massive protests across Yemen
Protests across Yemen after US-UK strikes
Tens of thousands of Yemenis took to the streets across the country, on Friday (Jan 12) to hear their leaders condemn airstrikes conducted by the United States and the United Kingdom in response to attacks by Houthi militants on ships in the Red Sea amid the ongoing war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.
The protests were following the first airstrikes by the American and British forces on Thursday (Jan 11), which according to the Pentagon, reduced the Houthis’ capacity to launch fresh attacks. The US military said 60 targets in 28 sites were hit. Since then, the US confirmed that they have conducted new strikes against the Iran-backed Yemen-based.
(Photograph:Reuters)
US launches fresh strikes in Yemen
The United States carried out fresh strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, on Friday (Jan 12), said the US Central Command (CENTCOM) after President Joe Biden said that American forces would carry out new strikes if the Iran-backed group keeps attacking ships in the Red Sea.
The new strikes were seemingly confirmed by the Houthi media which reported airstrikes in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
The latest strike targeted a radar site, US officials speaking on the condition of anonymity told Reuters. Radar infrastructure reportedly has been a key target in the US military effort to halt Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.
The strikes, according to a statement by the CENTCOM were conducted at 3:45 am (Yemen time) and "designed to degrade the Houthi’s ability to attack maritime vessels, including commercial vessels."
“We will make sure we respond to the Huthis if they continue this outrageous behavior,” Biden told reporters on an election campaign in the US state of Pennsylvania, on Friday (Jan 12).
This handout image released on January 12, 2024, shows an RAF Typhoon aircraft taking off to join the US-led coalition from RAF Akrotiri to conduct air strikes against military targets in Yemen, aimed at the Iran-backed Houthi militia that has been targeting international shipping in the Red Sea, in Cyprus.
(Photograph:Reuters)
Latest US-UK strikes hit multiple places in Yemen
Houthi-run television channel Al-Masirah news network reported multiple strikes in Sanaa, on Friday (Jan 12). “The American-British enemy is targeting the capital, Sanaa, with a number of airstrikes,” said the Houthi-run media.
It added, “The American-British aggression targeted the Al-Dailami base in the capital, Sanaa.” A report by Reuters said witnesses confirmed explosions early on Friday (Yemen time) at military bases near airports in the capital Sanaa and Yemen’s third city Taiz, a naval base at Yemen’s main Red Sea port Hodeidah and military sites in the coastal Hajjah governorate.
The new strike also comes after the rebel group’s military on Friday (Jan 12) said that overnight air strikes carried out by the American and British forces had killed five of their fighters and injured six others, adding that the attacks would not go unpunished or unanswered.
The Houthis, which have controlled most of Yemen for nearly a decade, have also vowed to continue their attacks on regional shipping despite strikes by the US and the UK.
(Photograph:Reuters)
Red Sea shipping attacks by Houthis
Hamas launched a series of attacks against Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking at least 240 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli officials. This has since triggered Israel to retaliate in the form of airstrikes and a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave which claimed the lives of more than 23,800 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, as of Saturday (Jan 13).
The Iran-backed Houthis began attacking shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles towards Israel, saying they would not stop until Israel's offensive in Gaza is not stopped.
Image shows protesters and supporters of the Houthi movement in Sanaa burning Israeli and US flags, on January 12, 2024.
(Photograph:Reuters)
'The United States is the Devil'
"Your strikes on Yemen are terrorism," said Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi (in the image), a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, referring to the United States during a rally, as quoted by Reuters. He added, "The United States is the Devil."
"We did not attack the shores of America, nor did we move in the American islands, nor did we attack them. Your strikes on our country are terrorism," said Al-Houthi.
"They are terrorists and they are amazing at lying to the people of the world, but the awareness of the Yemeni people is a different awareness. Do you, Yemeni, think that America is defending itself or is it a terrorist?"
The Iraqi militia group Harakat al-Nujaba, also backed by Iran, said American interests and countries allied to the US.
Image shows Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi supreme political council, speaking while holding a gun, as supporters of the Houthi movement rally to denounce air strikes launched by the U.S. and Britain on Houthi targets, in Sanaa, Yemen January 12, 2024.
(Photograph:Reuters)
UN chief warns against escalation
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all sides “not to escalate” the volatile situation in the Red Sea, on Friday (Jan 12) after the US and UK launched strikes against Houthis.
The Iran-backed group in Yemen who say they are acting in solidarity with Gaza have attacked a number of ships in the Red Sea stoking fears of the Israel-Hamas war spreading regionwide.
“The Secretary-General further calls on all parties involved not to escalate even more the situation in the interest of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the wider region,” said UN chief’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Image shows fighters loyal to Yemen's Houthi rebels, standing guard during a protest following US and British forces strikes, in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on January 12, 2024.
(Photograph:AFP)
US and UK say strikes on Yemen's Houthis as legal under international law
The United States and Britain, on Friday presented their defence to the United Nations Security Council over the legality of strikes they launched against Yemen's Houthis for attacking ships in the Red Sea. While Russia and China accused the Western allies of raising regional tensions.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador said the strikes by the US and UK are a part of the US-led multinational naval coalition, were consistent with international law and the UN Charter.
The operation was designed "to disrupt and degrade the Houthis' ability to continue the reckless attacks against vessels and commercial shipping," she said. Washington would continue pursuing a diplomatic response while seeking to defend commercial shipping, Thomas-Greenfield added.
"We took limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense alongside the United States with the non-operational support of the Netherlands, Canada, Bahrain and Australia," said British Ambassador Susan Woodward.
The Russian ambassador to the UN called the joint US-UK strikes against the Houthis a “blatant armed aggression against another country.” He added,
“These states all carried out a mass strike on Yemeni territory. I'm not talking about an attack on some group within the country but an attack on the people of the country on the whole."
Zhang Jun, China's UN envoy noted that the UNSC had not authorised the use of force against Yemen. The US-UK operation "not only caused infrastructure destruction and civilian casualties, but have also resulted in heightened security risks in the Red Sea," said Zhang.
Image shows anti-war demonstrators in the US state of Washington's Seattle, on Friday, January 12, 2024 to protest the American and British airstrikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
(Photograph:Reuters)
Anti-war activists protest in Seattle against US-UK strikes in Yemen
A group of about 100 pro-Palestinian protesters chanted 'Hands off Yemen Now!' and held signs saying "Stop U.S./U.K. bombing of yemen," in the United States city of Seattle, on Friday (Jan 12) reported Reuters.
This came a day after a few dozen anti-war activists gathered at Times Square in New York City and outside the White House late on Thursday (Jan 11) to protest US-UK strikes against Houthis.
According to Reuters, protesters at Times Square chanted slogans such as "hands off the Middle East," "hands off Yemen," and "hands off Gaza."
Meanwhile, demonstrators near the White House waved Palestinian flags and carried banners that read "Free Palestine" and "stop bombing Yemen."
Image shows anti-war demonstrators in the US state of Washington's Seattle, on Friday, January 12, 2024, to protest the American and British airstrikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen.
(Photograph:Reuters)