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Iran accused the United States and Britain of working to fuel chaos and insecurity in the region, following the air strikes that targeted sites belonging to the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) in Yemen - last night - at a time when the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq warned of the consequences of previous raids that targeted sites located in the west of the country.

Washington and London announced that they, along with allied countries, targeted 36 targets in 13 locations in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, in response to what was described as this group’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the American and British attacks, saying that they were a "violation of Yemeni sovereignty and territorial integrity," and considered that "the continuation of these movements is a clear adventure and a worrying threat to international peace."

It also stressed that last night's attacks "clearly contradict the claims of Washington and London regarding not expanding the circle of war and conflict in the region, and lead to spreading chaos and instability in the region."

The international community - according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry - bears the responsibility to hold Britain and the United States accountable for destabilizing regional stability and security.

For his part, the military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, said that the American-British raids included Amanat Al-Asimah and the governorates of Sanaa, Hodeidah, Taiz, Al-Bayda, Hajjah and Saada, stressing that these raids will not go unanswered.

In turn, a member of the Houthi political bureau, Muhammad Al-Bukhaiti, said that the US-British coalition’s bombing of Yemeni provinces will not change the group’s position and will not stop its military operations against Israel “until the genocide in the Gaza Strip stops and the siege on the residents of the Strip is lifted.” Al-Bukhaiti added in a post on the X website that “the group will meet escalation with escalation.”

Blatant assault

For its part, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemned the American-British bombing and said that it was “a blatant attack on the sovereignty of an Arab country, and an escalation that will drag the region into more turmoil and instability for which Washington and the Israeli occupation bear full responsibility.” It renewed in a press statement its appreciation for the Yemeni position in Supporting the Palestinian people who are being subjected to genocide.

In solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been exposed to a devastating Israeli war since October 7, 2023, the Houthis have been targeting, with missiles and drones, cargo ships in the Red Sea that are owned or operated by Israeli companies, or that transport goods to and from Israel.

With the intervention of Washington and London and the tensions taking a noticeable escalation trend last January, the Houthis announced that they now considered all American and British ships among their military targets.

The raids in Yemen came a day after a series of American strikes against targets linked to Iran in both Iraq and Syria in response to the killing of 3 American soldiers in a drone attack at a base in Jordan on January 28.

These strikes - which targeted areas of western Iraq on the border with Syria and were condemned by the Baghdad government - led to the death of 16 and the injury of 36 other members of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

In response to these raids, the head of the Mobilization Forces, Faleh al-Fayyad, said that the American aggression “will not go unnoticed,” stressing - during his speech at the funeral ceremony for those killed in the American strikes - that targeting the Mobilization Forces “is playing with fire.” He added that foreign forces “must leave the land of Iraq because they... "It crossed red lines by targeting the Iraqi armed forces."

During the funeral ceremony, in which members of the Mobilization Forces participated in their military uniforms, Iraqi and Mobilization flags were raised, and banners reading: “Death to America...Death to Israel.”

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies