On Friday, the Houthi group in Yemen announced that 5 of their fighters were killed during 73 raids conducted by American and British forces on the country, emphasizing that there is no justification for the attack on Yemen.
Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthi forces, said, "The American-British enemy, in the context of their support for the ongoing Israeli criminality in Gaza, launched a brutal aggression on Yemen with 73 raids."
He clarified that the raids targeted the capital, Sanaa, as well as the provinces of Hodeidah, Taiz, Hajjah, and Saada, noting that they resulted in the death of 5 Houthi military personnel and the injury of 6 others.
He emphasized that "the American and British enemy bear full responsibility for their criminal aggression against the Yemeni people, which will not go unanswered or unpunished."
No Justifications for the Attack
Mohammed Abdelsalam, the spokesman for the Houthis, stated that there are no justifications for the American-British attack on Yemen, while Britain confirmed that the strikes against Houthi targets were in self-defense.
Abdelsalam stressed that there was absolutely no justification for this aggression on Yemen, "as there was no threat to international navigation."
He asserted that "the targeting was and will remain aimed at Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine," adding, "We did not target any country in the world with the exception of Israel."
In remarks to Al Jazeera, he said there is "no maritime coalition in the Red Sea" but rather "only American and British aggression."
Abdelsalam confirmed that the Yemeni position has been active, prompting America to announce the coalition against the Houthis.
Pass Through Peacefully
Daifallah Al-Shami, the Minister of Information and spokesman for the Houthi government, conveyed a message via the X platform to all "ships passing through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab, we say pass through peacefully and securely."
In the same context, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi's Supreme Political Council, described the American-British strikes on Yemen as "barbaric and terrorist."
He described the attacks as "a deliberate and unjustified aggression, reflecting a savage mentality," adding that "a response will be delivered through a statement to be published later."
Concurrently, a US military official denied any retaliatory Houthi attacks on American and British ships in the Red Sea in response to the bombing that several Yemeni cities were subjected to.
The Guardian reported that the unnamed official stated there has been "no Houthi response to this moment," and clarified that his country would not be surprised by "any Houthi response."
Ali al-Qahoum, a member of the Houthi political bureau, announced the targeting of American-British warships in the Red Sea in response to the raids conducted by Washington and London on the capital, Sanaa, and other Yemeni provinces.
The United States and Britain carried out strikes against targets in Yemen early on Friday, in response to the Houthis preventing any Israeli or Israel-bound ship from sailing in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli aggression for more than three months.
Lexos Greencoat, the commander of the American Air Forces in the Middle East, said that "the strikes against the Houthis aim to undermine their ability to continue their maritime attacks in the Red Sea."
The US official held the Houthis and their Iranian sponsors responsible for the attacks on international maritime shipping, noting that the raids targeted command centers, ammunition storages, and launch systems.
Meanwhile, British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told Radio Times on Friday that the overnight strikes carried out by Britain and the United States on Houthi military targets in Yemen were in self-defense.
Al Masirah TV, affiliated with the Houthis, reported that the bombing targeted Al-Dailami Air Base adjacent to Sanaa Airport, the surroundings of Hodeidah Airport, areas in the Zabid directorate, Kahlan Military Camp east of Saada city, Taiz Airport, the 22nd Brigade Camp in Al-Ta'iziyah Directorate, and the airport in the Abs Directorate.
Heavy Price
In the aftermath of the strikes, the deputy foreign minister in the Houthi government, Hussein Al-Ezzi, vowed a response, stating, "Our country was subjected to a wide aggressive attack from ships, submarines, and warplanes of the American and British … America and Britain should be prepared to pay a heavy price."
Over the past few weeks, the Houthis have launched more than 25 operations targeting commercial ships connected with Israel or headed to Israeli ports near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The latest was the Houthis targeting "an American ship providing support to Israel," using more than 20 drones and missiles over the Red Sea, which were claimed to be intercepted by American and British forces.
