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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – U.S.-led airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels intensify across the Arab world Friday in response to attacks on shipping ships in the Red Sea The long-running war drew the world’s attention. It is the poorest country in the Middle East, even though transport across the region remains threatened.
Saudi Arabia seeks to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a ceasefire in the war in Yemen involving Iran, as bombings over multiple sites held by Iran-backed rebels light up the pre-dawn sky. He immediately tried to distance himself from the attack. I hope they will eventually withdraw. The attack also threatened to spark a regional conflict over Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which the Biden administration and its allies have been trying to quell for weeks.
Meanwhile, the US Navy acknowledged an attack on a ship in the remote Indian Ocean a few days ago. The attack could signal that Iran is prepared to attack ships as part of a broader maritime operation in Israel’s war against Hamas. Iran’s government on Thursday separately seized another tanker involved in an earlier crisis over oil seizures by the United States, which is subject to international sanctions over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program.
It remains unclear how extensive the damage was caused by the US airstrikes, but the Houthis said at least five locations were hit, including an airfield. Hussein al-Ezzi, head of the Houthi foreign ministry, acknowledged “massive attacks by American and British ships, submarines and fighter jets.”
“The US and UK will undoubtedly have to pay a heavy price and be prepared to bear all the dire consequences of this blatant invasion,” Arruezzi wrote online.
The Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesman, Mohammed Abdul Salam, said separately that the US and UK had “committed folly with this treacherous invasion”.
“They were wrong if they thought they could prevent Yemen from supporting Palestine and Gaza,” he wrote online. Houthi targeting “will continue to impact Israeli shipping and vessels bound for occupied Palestinian ports,” he wrote.
But since the attacks began in November, the Houthis have begun targeting ships with weak or unclear links to Israel, endangering shipping along key routes for global trade.
Yemen has been a target of U.S. military action under the past four U.S. presidents. Drone strikes targeting local al-Qaeda affiliates began under President George W. Bush and have continued under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the United States has launched raids and other military operations as the war in Yemen continues.
The war began in 2014 when the Houthis invaded the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition that includes the United Arab Emirates launched a war in support of Yemen’s government-in-exile in 2015, and the conflict quickly turned into a regional rivalry as Iran backed the Houthis. Equipped with weapons and other support.
But the war has slowed as the Houthis maintain control over the areas they control. The UAE was hit by Houthi missile attacks multiple times in 2022. After the Emirates withdrew from the war, Saudi Arabia reached a China-brokered de-escalation agreement with Iran in hopes of eventually withdrawing from the war.
However, no overall agreement has yet been reached, which is likely to have prompted Friday’s expression of “great concern” over the Saudi airstrikes.
“Saudi Arabia emphasizes the importance of safeguarding the security and stability of the Red Sea region, while calling for restraint and avoidance of escalation,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Iran, which provides arms and aid to the Houthis, condemned the attack in a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Qanani.
“Arbitrary attacks have no consequences other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region,” he said.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which is also supported by Iran and carries out shelling across the border with Israel, said the airstrike was a sign that the United States was “a full partner in the catastrophe and massacre perpetrated by the Zionist organization in the Gaza Strip.” It was criticized for showing that
Meanwhile, on Friday, the US Navy confirmed attacks near the coasts of India and Sri Lanka several days ago. The chemical tanker Pacific Gold was attacked by a drone on January 4 in what the Navy called an “Iranian one-way attack,” causing some damage to the ship but no injuries.
“Iran’s actions violate international law and threaten maritime security and stability,” said Vice Admiral Brad Cooper of the Navy’s 5th Fleet, based in the Middle East.
Pacific Gold is controlled by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire Idan Offer. Naval officials in the Eastern Pacific, India and Sri Lanka did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Associated Press about the attack. The Eastern Pacific has been a target of suspected Iranian attacks in the past.
Private security officials previously confirmed to The Associated Press that the attack took place. The attack was first reported by Lebanese broadcaster al-Mayadeen, which is politically affiliated with Hezbollah and has previously announced other Iran-linked attacks in the region. Iran itself has not admitted carrying out the attack.
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Associated Press writers Bassem Mourou in Beirut and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
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