2024-01-13 00:37:00
US and UK bombed Houthi targets
VER VIDEO
The bombings carried out this Friday by the United States and the United Kingdom against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, responsible for numerous attacks against commercial ships in the Red Sea in “solidarity” with the Palestinians, raised fears of a regional expansion of the conflict in the Strip of Gaza, which also has its echo in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with Israel’s defense of the accusation of genocide.
Airstrikes commanded by Washington and London hit Houthi military sites in several towns and left at least five dead and six injured, according to a military spokesman for the rebel movement, Yahya Saree, on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The spokesperson specified that there were 73 bombings that included the capital Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida, which the rebels control.
In a joint statement, the United States, the United Kingdom and eight of their allies assured that with the offensive they seek to “de-escalate tensions” and “restore stability in the Red Sea.”
“Today’s actions demonstrate a shared commitment to freedom of navigation, international trade and the defense of seafarers’ lives against illegal and unjustifiable attacks,” they declared.
US President Joe Biden described it as a “defensive action” in response “to the unprecedented attacks of the Houthis against international ships in the Red Sea” that threaten global trade.
Houthi response
The Houthi rebels in Yemen launched an anti-ship ballistic missile a few hours later.
“We know that they launched at least one missile in retaliation,” said the director of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, adding that the shot did not hit any ships.
“Their rhetoric has been quite strong and lofty. I would expect them to try some type of retaliation,” the soldier said.
Airstrikes commanded by Washington and London hit Houthi military sites in several locations / Photo: AFP
Hamas’s position
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas issued a harsh warning on the Telegram messaging network: “We strongly condemn the blatant US-British aggression in Yemen. We hold them responsible for the repercussions on regional security.”
Militias from that group launched various attacks on Israeli soil on October 7, in which they killed 1,200 people, the vast majority civilians, and kidnapped around 240, including twenty Argentine nationals.
Following that attack, Israel declared war and began an offensive in the Gaza Strip that has so far left more than 23,700 dead, a large majority of them women and children, and a serious humanitarian crisis.
The Houthis are part of the self-proclaimed “axis of resistance”, a group of armed movements hostile to Israel and supported by Iran that also includes Hamas and the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the Houthis have launched numerous attacks near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa, forcing many commercial ships to avoid the area, making shipping between Europe more expensive and delayed. and Asia.
In response, the United States deployed warships and forged an international coalition in December to protect this route through which 12% of world trade transits.
Despite warnings from the White House and the UN Security Council, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile on Thursday, prompting retaliation from the international coalition led by Washington.
This escalation provoked a wave of international reactions.
Photo: EFE
International impact
Underlining that “the Red Sea is an important passage point for international logistics and energy trade”, China expressed its “concern” about the escalation of tensions and called for “restraint” from all parties, reported the AFP news agency. .
For its part, Iran condemned the British-American bombings, calling them an “arbitrary action” and a “violation” of international law, and Russia called them “illegitimate,” but NATO defended them as “defensive” actions.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated that the bombings were necessary to send a “firm signal” to the Houthi rebels, and the European Union (EU) anticipated that next week it will debate the possibility of sending its own naval mission. to the area.
Harshly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the attack as “disproportionate” and accused its perpetrators of seeking to turn the Red Sea into “a sea of blood.”
Yemen’s own Houthi rebels declared the interests of the United States and the United Kingdom in the area as “legitimate targets” of their operations.
“All American and British interests have become legitimate targets of the Yemeni armed forces following direct aggression,” the Houthi Supreme Political Council said.
Thousands of people gathered in several cities in Yemen controlled by this group to condemn the bombings, in demonstrations in which slogans were chanted against Israel and in favor of the Palestinian people, the Europa Press news agency reported.
DAY TWO: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) holds public hearings in the case South Africa v. Israel – Oral argument of Israel#ICJGenocideConvention #EndIsraelsGenocide https://t.co/UrPNoyocPE
— Presidency | South Africa ???????? (@PresidencyZA) January 12, 2024
Meanwhile, the Government of Yemen, backed by Saudi Arabia, accused the rebels of “dragging the country into a scenario of confrontation” and assured that it was following the military escalation “with great concern.”
This fear of a worsening of the conflict occurs just after the end of a regional tour by the head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, which had the objective of reducing tension in the Middle East
In addition to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, The war reignited violence on the border between northern Israel and Lebanonwhere shootings occur almost daily between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militiamen.
Also in Iraq and Syria, where US forces have received 130 attacks since October from local pro-Iran factions that claim to act in solidarity with the Palestinians, according to the Pentagon.
South Africa’s accusation before The Hague
Thousands of kilometers away, in the Dutch city of The Hague, Israel declared that the genocide case brought against it before the ICJ is “totally distorted” and does not reflect the reality of the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
South Africa filed an emergency appeal before the UN’s highest judicial body in December, arguing that Israel violated the Convention for the Prevention of Genocide, signed in 1948 after the Holocaust, and yesterday presented its accusatory arguments before the court.
The African country “unfortunately showed before the court a totally distorted factual and legal image,” said Tal Becker, one of Israel’s lawyers, when presenting his defense.
MULTIMEDIA: photos and videos of today’s hearing in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (#SouthAfrica v. #Israel) held before the #ICJ are available here: pic.twitter.com/EBN9H4sOYc
— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) January 12, 2024
“The set of his arguments is based on a deliberately organized, decontextualized and manipulated description of the reality of current hostilities,” the lawyer added.
Becker stated at the hearing that “what Israel seeks by operating in Gaza is not to destroy a town, but to protect a town, its own, attacked on multiple fronts,” reported the AFP news agency.
The objective of South Africa’s appeal is for ICJ judges to order an immediate end to the military campaign and the court could rule within a few weeks. Although its decision is binding, it has no force that guarantees its application.
The court will not rule on the merits of the case, that is, whether Israel is committing genocide, but it will rule on whether the population of Gaza is in danger.
Meanwhile, the bombings continue in the enclave, leaving some 60 dead and dozens injured today, reported the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Gaza Ministry of Health, which differ in the number of deaths.
The IDF attacked with artillery the town of Khan Yunis and Rafah, where a large number of people displaced by the fighting in the north of the Strip are concentrated.
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