Yemen – Houthi supporters participate in a protest against US-led air strikes (photo Lapresse)
General Petraeus: “If the Houthis react we will see new attacks”
Self Should the Houthis attack again “they can expect further attacks from the American-led coalition, which certainly now has excellent intelligence information on their bases, storage depots, launch sites and so on.” American General David Petraeus said this in an interview with Corriere della Sera. «The Houthis have already said that they will respond, it is likely that we will see new attacks from them. But we still don't know the extent of the damage inflicted on their arsenal of missiles and drones.
The raids were significant: well over 100 rounds of ammunition against around sixty targets at 16 different sites. And the damage must have been considerable, although I suspect that the process of assessing the impact of the bombs is still being finalized” added the American soldier. Petraeus then underlined the risks of an escalation: “They depend more than anything else on specific actions and assessments in those areas rather than what is happening in the Red Sea. I still doubt that Lebanese Hezbollah wants to provoke wider action from Israel, after the way it was hammered in 2006. But the potential for escalation is there, as it is in Iraq and Syria.”
How long will the war in Gaza last? «Many, many months – replied Petraes -. It will depend on how much the Israeli forces carrying out operations to destroy Hamas will be reduced, dismantle its political branch, save the hostages. All this, in an extremely difficult urban context and against an enemy who does not wear uniforms, who uses civilians as human shields, who holds over 100 hostages and has hundreds of miles of tunnels and underground structures in densely populated urban areas.” .
Biden: “Raids in response to attacks. I sent a message to Iran”
“On my orders, US military forces, together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, have successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to undermine the freedom of navigation in one of the most vital waterways in the world”. President Joe Biden made this known in a note, explaining that this is the “direct response to the Houthi attacks” and that it will not hesitate “to take further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international trade if necessary.” Then, when asked by journalists whether he intended to send a message to the regime in Tehran, he said: “I have already sent a message to Iran. I will make sure to respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior.”
Moscow: “USA and GB have violated the UN Charter”
Russia has denounced “blatant aggression” by the US and the UK on the territory of Yemen. “This is armed aggression by a group of countries against another country, and it has nothing in common with self-defense,” Moscow's ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia said during the urgent Security Council meeting . Nebenzia accused the US and Britain of violating Article 2 of the UN Charter with their expedition into Yemen against Houthi bases, which requires members to refrain from using force against territorial integrity or political independence. of any state.
Mo: UN envoy Yemen, 'all parties exercise restraint'
The UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg expresses concern about recent developments in the country and urges “all parties involved to exercise maximum restraint”. In a statement released after the raids conducted by the United States and GB against the positions of the Houthi rebels, Grundberg reiterates the appeal of the secretary general António Gueterres to avoid actions that “worse the situation in Yemen, increase the threat to commercial maritime routes or further fuel regional tensions at this critical moment.”
The UN envoy also underlines the need to “protect Yemeni civilians and safeguard the progress of peace efforts” made since the April 2022 truce. Grundberg in the statement highlights “with grave concern the increasingly precarious regional context and the negative impact on peace efforts in Yemen and stability and security in the region”. And he concludes by urging all parties involved “to give priority to diplomatic channels over the military option and requests for de-escalation”.
#Middle #East #Petraeus #Houthis #react #attacks #extended #war
