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Houthi maneuvers in Yemen: “Will not change our position”
Photo:
Houthis Media Center / EPA
Against the backdrop of the Gaza war, the USA is increasing pressure against pro-Iranian militias in the Middle East. Together with the armed forces of Great Britain, the US Air Force again attacked Houthi positions in Yemen on Sunday night.
Just the day before, the Americans had carried out extensive air strikes against militias in Iraq and Syria that, like the Houthis, are allied with Iran and had recently killed three US soldiers in a drone strike in Jordan.
The militias act as allies of the terrorist organization Hamas, which is fighting in the Gaza Strip against the army of US ally Israel. Since the beginning of the Gaza war almost four months ago, the Houthis in Yemen have repeatedly targeted merchant ships with alleged Israeli connections in the Red Sea. The stated goal of the United States and its allies is to weaken the Houthis' military capabilities and thus protect the shipping route that is important for global trade. The new strike is not an escalation, said British Defense Minister Grant Shapps. Rather, innocent lives should be protected and freedom of navigation preserved.
However, the Houthis want to continue their attacks in the Red Sea. The bombings "will not change our position," said Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi militia's Politburo: "We will respond to escalation with escalation."
Meanwhile, US forces fired again at a Houthis anti-ship missile on Sunday morning. The cruise missile was prepared in Yemen to be fired at ships in the Red Sea and posed an immediate threat to US naval ships in the region, US Central Command said.
sak/dpa