UN, January 12. /TASS/. Strikes by the US and UK against positions Houthi rebels from the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen carry the risk of escalating the Middle East conflict, Stephane Dujarric, Spokesman for the United Nations Secretary-General, told a briefing on Friday.
"I mean, it definitely risks further escalating and making the situation in the region worse," he said when asked whether the latest events in the Red Sea are related to the situation in the Gaza Strip. Dujarric added that UN staff in Yemen are safe.
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.