American and British fighter jets renewed the bombing of areas in Yemen for the third day (Al-Jazeera)

Media outlets affiliated with the Houthi group reported renewed US and British bombardment of areas in Yemen, and while Britain expressed its readiness to launch more strikes on Houthi targets, the UN envoy to Yemen and both China and Djibouti expressed concern, and Iran warned any country against participating in the strikes.

The media pointed out that the US-British bombing targeted Mount Jada in the district of Al-Lahiya, north of the city of Hodeidah, western Yemen.

This comes at a time when Yemen's airspace is witnessing heavy overflights by US fighter jets. Local sources in Hodeidah said the city witnessed heavy overflights of US fighter jets, while others targeted, on Saturday, sites belonging to the Houthis in the province.

John Kirby, the National Security Council's strategic communications coordinator, said: "We do not seek conflict with the Houthis, and we believe that our recent strikes have had a good effect."

For his part, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron expressed his country's readiness to launch more strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, if commercial and military ships continue to be attacked in the Red Sea.

In remarks to The Telegraph, Cameron said that the strikes launched by US and British forces last Thursday "will somewhat weaken the capabilities of the Houthis."

The British Foreign Secretary added that "military action must always be a last resort, and it was certainly in this case," considering that "the Houthi attacks were endured for almost two months without a direct response."

Cameron also noted that vital supply chains are under threat and that prices in Britain and around the world are at risk of rising if the Houthis are allowed to block ships.

Some British MPs have expressed regret that parliament was not informed before the strikes, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is due to speak to MPs on Monday, after vowing that his country would continue to take further action if the Houthis do not back down from their operations in the Red Sea.

The Telegraph reported that British aircraft carriers were not ready to head to the Red Sea because of the recruitment crisis plaguing the British army.

The British navy has faced a sharp decline in the flow of new recruits to serve, a crisis affecting the entire British army.

Iranian warning

On the other hand, the American magazine Newsweek quoted the Iranian representative to the United Nations as saying that "any country that participates in the military aggression against Yemen may endanger itself."

The Iranian representative added that the attack of the United States and Britain on Yemen is a violation of national sovereignty and a violation of international law.

The Iranian representative to the United Nations stressed that the aggression on Yemen proves the success of Israel's pressure on Washington to drag it into direct war.

IRGC Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani said, "Yemen has supported Palestine and its resistance to the extent required and commensurate with the conditions of the region."

Qaani added that "there will come a day when America will bear more repercussions of what he described as its crimes and support for the Zionist entity."

International concern

At the primary level, the UN envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, expressed concern about the recent developments related to Yemen.

He called on all parties concerned to avoid actions that would exacerbate the situation, escalate the threat on maritime trade routes, and increase regional tensions.

He also urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint and prioritize diplomatic channels over military options.

Djibouti also expressed its deep concern at the developments in the Red Sea region. In a statement, the Djiboutian Foreign Ministry called for avoiding escalation and restraint, stressing the importance of maintaining security and stability in the Red Sea.

The statement stressed the need to ward off any danger that would threaten the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, which it described as a vital waterway for international trade.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated the rejection of the use of military force against Yemen, noting that the international community has not authorized any country to launch strikes in Yemen.

The Chinese Foreign Minister said – at a press conference in Cairo on Sunday with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry – that his country pays attention to what is happening in the Red Sea, calling for "stopping the attack on ships and the escalation that is taking place in the Red Sea, which threatens the international order."

Source : Al Jazeera + Agencies