Thousands of supporters of the Yemeni Houthi rebel group held a rally in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Friday to protest the U.S.-Britain joint retaliatory airstrikes on the group’s camps.
The protesters demanded a response to Friday’s pre-dawn airstrikes that heavily bombed over 60 training sites and arms depots in several northern Yemeni cities.
“We support our leadership’s decision,” a Houthi commander shouted over the loudspeakers, and the protesters repeated his words.
In a defiant response, the Supreme Political Council, Houthi’s top ruling body, declared in a statement on Friday that “all American and British interests have become legitimate targets.”
The United States and Britain said they carried out the airstrikes to deter the Houthis from launching attacks on commercial ships in the international shipping lanes of the Red Sea, which threaten global trade and drive up the cost of commodities.
The Houthis have escalated their attacks in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, demanding the end of Israeli attacks and siege against the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.
Earlier this week, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution denouncing the Houthi attacks on the shipping lines, calling for an immediate end to the group’s attacks that have disrupted global trade. ■
Yemenis participate in a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 12, 2024. Thousands of supporters of the Yemeni Houthi rebel group held a rally in Sanaa on Friday to protest the U.S.-Britain joint retaliatory airstrikes on the group’s camps. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
Yemenis chant slogans as they participate in a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 12, 2024. Thousands of supporters of the Yemeni Houthi rebel group held a rally in Sanaa on Friday to protest the U.S.-Britain joint retaliatory airstrikes on the group’s camps. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
Yemenis participate in a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on Jan. 12, 2024. Thousands of supporters of the Yemeni Houthi rebel group held a rally in Sanaa on Friday to protest the U.S.-Britain joint retaliatory airstrikes on the group’s camps. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)
