MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. The strikes by British and US forces on Yemen are a vivid example of the West creating new hotbeds of tension, an unlawful act for which there is no justification, Federation Council (the upper house of the Russian Parliament) Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said.
"It is becoming more and more obvious that the West is constantly creating new hotbeds of tension, hot spots, sowing chaos, ignoring any norms of international law in an attempt to preserve its fading hegemony. Today's attack on Yemen by Anglo-American forces is a vivid example of this," said the Speaker of the Federation Council at the awards ceremony for honoring journalists for best coverage of parliamentary activities Federation Council - House of Regions.
"Without appealing to the UN, without obtaining the consent of its own Congress, which is stipulated by US law, another unlawful act has been committed, and there is no justification for this," she added.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden confirmed the strikes by the UK and the US on the night of January 12 against rebel positions in Yemen. As the statement released by the White House press office indicated, the operation was carried out by "US military forces — together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands" in response to the "unprecedented Houthi attacks" in the Red Sea. The targets included missile sites, UAVs and Houthi radar stations.
Following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis announced that they would strike Israeli territory and prevent any ships tied to the country from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave was halted. The US military’s Central Command estimates that the Houthis have attacked more than 20 civilian vessels in the Red Sea since mid-November.