After powerful airstrikes by the United States of America and Great Britain on Houthi positions in Yemen, the rebels said that these attacks would not go without "punishment or retribution". The enraged Houthis promise to take "large-scale retaliatory measures", which, according to them, "exceed the imagination of the West".
Houthi spokesman Mohammed al-Buhayti expressed his belief that the US and Britain made a strategic mistake by starting the war in Yemen. He noted that direct aggression against Yemen is defined by them as "the greatest stupidity in their history", and soon these countries "will understand the consequences of their actions".
The Houthis are plotting a large-scale response, threatening to target ships bound for Israel. The group's spokesman, Mohammed Abdulsalam, said the attacks had already killed five fighters and that their actions would continue.
According to the Houthis, their goal is to protect the territory and support Hamas in its conflict with Israel. They stress that there is no justification for aggression against Yemen, and that their targets are only Israeli ships and those bound for the ports of occupied Palestine.
International reactions to the events did not take long. Russia, calling for an urgent meeting of the UN , condemned the strikes as a violation of international law aimed at escalation in the region. Iran, which supports armed groups in the Middle East, also condemned the strikes as "illegal and escalating".
In their reaction, representatives of Great Britain and the United States emphasize the need to protect trade routes in the Red Sea and note that the strikes were proportionate and justified.
