NATO says US and UK attacks against Houthis are defensive

This Friday, NATO said the US and UK attacks on Houthi rebel military positions in Yemen were defensive in nature and aimed at preserving freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.

“These attacks were defensive in nature and aimed at preserving freedom of navigation in one of the most important waterways in the world. Houthi attacks must stop,” NATO spokesman Dylan White said in a statement sent to Spanish news agency EFE.

The NATO spokesman added that Houthi forces are supported, supplied and equipped by Iran, and said Tehran “has a special responsibility for the control of its auxiliary forces.”

“In recent months, we have seen Houthi forces attempt dozens of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. These attacks pose a direct threat to maritime security and international trade,” he said.

The UN Security Council has “condemned them” and the international community has “made it clear that if the attacks do not stop”, he added.

“The US and UK have already carried out strikes on a number of Houthi targets in Yemen, with the support of allies Canada and the Netherlands, as well as partners Australia and Bahrain,” White said.

US President Joe Biden confirmed on Thursday evening that the US military, together with the United Kingdom and with support from other countries, had successfully carried out attacks on several targets in Yemen.

Biden said the action was in response to attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who launched a ballistic missile on Thursday aimed at hitting shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, a strategic oil shipping route from the Persian Gulf.

The United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and South Korea issued a joint statement last week emphasizing that the action was aimed at protecting international trade and those transiting Red border. The sea through which almost 15% of world maritime trade passes.