Saudi Arabia following escalation 'with concern', calls for restraint
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Saudi Arabia emphasizes the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region.
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his week-long trip across the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 8, 2024 (AP)
Saudi Arabia released a statement, today morning, calling for restraint and “avoiding escalation” in the region following the airstrikes launched by the United States and the United Kingdom on Yemen.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry posted on X that the Kingdom is closely monitoring the situation with "great concern", emphasizing the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region, as the freedom of navigation in it is an international demand.
#بيان | تتابع المملكة العربية السعودية بقلق بالغ العمليات العسكرية التي تشهدها منطقة البحر الأحمر والغارات الجوية التي تعرضت لها عدد من المواقع في الجمهورية اليمنية pic.twitter.com/ChgJzSaQXB
— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) January 12, 2024
US-UK attack Sanaa
A US official told CNN on Friday that the US military has launched strikes against multiple targets in Yemen, adding that "the strikes were from fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles."
The Yemeni SABA news agency in Sanaa also reported that the American-Israeli-British aggression launched multiple airstrikes on the capital Sanaa and the provinces of Hodeidah, Saada, and Dhamar.
The Pentagon, as well, announced that the US aggression has targeted 12 sites in Yemen and was conducted by warplanes, cruise missiles, and submarines.
Later, US Air Forces Central stated in a press release that airstrikes in Yemen targeted over 60 sites associated with the Ansar Allah movement across 16 locations.
Earlier, Deputy Head of the Moral Guidance Department in the Yemeni Ministry of Defense in the Sanaa government, Brigadier Abdullah ben Amer, affirmed that there are significant preparations to confront the anticipated US-British aggression on Yemen.
The big picture
Following the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, Sanaa announced it would enforce a ban on Israeli and "Israel"-bound ships from crossing the Red and Arabian seas in support of the people of the Strip, currently facing an Israeli genocide with direct Washington support and complicity.
The United States, the UK, and France issued last week a "final warning" to Sanaa to stop its operations. But the latter refused to give in to foreign pressure regarding its support to Gaza and announced the attacks would continue until the Israeli genocide stops. The statement was made after the newly established US-led sea coalition, operating under Operation Prosperity Guardian, was fractured before carrying out a single joint operation.
As part of its campaign against Sanaa, the US attacked earlier this month Yemeni Naval Forces in the Red Sea, resulting in the martyrdom of 10 servicemembers.
Responding to threats of ending its operations in support of Gaza, Sanaa's top officials, including Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the defense minister, and the chief of armed forces, all confirmed that any attack on Yemen will be met with a direct, decisive, and large response.
Sanaa warned that the United States and any other party that gets involved in an aggression on the country would "regret their action," reaffirming that Yemen will not allow "anyone to prevent it" from "carrying out its humanitarian, ethical and religious duty toward Gaza" and will continue with its ban decision "no matter the challenges."
Read more: Sayyed al-Houthi: We will bravely confront any US aggression
