Iran, Russia decry Houthi strikes; Erdogan: US, UK want to turn Red Sea into bloodbath

Iran and its allies rushed on Friday to condemn the overnight US and British airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed that London and Washington were aspiring to turn the Red Sea into a “bloodbath.”

The operation reportedly targeted an airbase, airports and a military camp, and followed weeks of missile and drone attacks by the Yemeni rebels on shipping in the Red Sea, who claimed to act in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group.

The United States and its allies said in a joint statement following the airstrikes that their goal “remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement that Tehran “strongly condemned the military attacks of the United States and the United Kingdom this morning on several Yemeni cities.”

He said the strikes were “an arbitrary action, a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen, and a violation of international laws and regulations.” READ MORE