Djibouti refuses to install anti-Yemen missile launchers in the Red Sea, as per US demands, Djibouti's Prime Minister Abdul-Qadir Kamil Muhammad said.

In an interview for BBC, Djibouti's Prime Minister said the US was allowed to deploy the MIM-104 Patriot air defense system on its territory to protect American military installations in the country from Yemen.

However, the US was not given the discretion to use Djibouti as a war base against Yemen.

DJIBOUTI ON CROSSHAIRS AS THE USA GETS READY TO CONTROL THE RED SEA AND ESCALATE AGAINST THE HOUTHIS

With the US expected to wage war against Yemen on behalf of Israel, the US MIM-104 Patriot air defense missile (SAM) system has been deployed in Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, the… pic.twitter.com/IX1SPmPZG9

— Daljir Media (@radiodaljir) January 11, 2024

This comes after the African country announced its reservation from partaking in the US-led naval coalition Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea, which aims to thwart Yemeni operations on Israeli-linked vessels transiting the crucial maritime route. 

Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf affirmed that his country does not condemn the attacks from Sanaa in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab, considering them a "legitimate relief for the Palestinians."

Youssouf stated that Djibouti is reluctant to participate in the alliance despite that the suspension of maritime trade in the Bab al-Mandab could potentially harm Djibouti's economy.

He pointed out that maritime trade is a fundamental part of Djibouti's national income, and if Bab al-Mandab were to be closed, "the economy would collapse."

Youssouf concluded by saying, "If Palestine does not find relief elsewhere, may God bless the relief provided by the Yemenis." 

Yemen slams UNSC resolution as ‘political game’

Earlier, the UN Security Council approved Resolution 2722 led by the United States, urging the Yemeni Armed Forces to cease their activities in the Red Sea, as per Sputnik's correspondent on Wednesday.

The resolution "demands that the Houthis immediately cease all such attacks, which impede global commerce and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security, and further demands that the Houthis immediately release the Galaxy Leader and its crew," according to the text.

A member of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, stressed that “the United States is the party violating international law," commenting on the UNSC resolutions.

In a post on X, al-Houthi said: “The adopted [UN] decision regarding the security of navigation in the Red Sea is a political game,” stressing that “the United States is the party violating international law.”

Al-Houthi further demanded that the Israeli entity "immediately stop all attacks that hinder and end life in Gaza and undermine rights, freedoms, and regional peace and security."

نطالب بأن يكف الكيان الإسرائيلي فورا عن جميع الهجمات التي تعيق الحياة واستمرارها في غزة وتقوض الحقوق والحريات والسلم والأمن الإقليميين
. كما نطالب مجلس الامن بالإفراج فورا عن مليونين وثلاثمائة انسان من الحصار الإسرائيلي الامريكي الذي بات سلاحا قاتل وباتت غزة بسببه تمثل أكبر سجن…

— محمد علي الحوثي (@Moh_Alhouthi) January 10, 2024