China has pushed back against the United States and a multilateral coalition that has launched attacks on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, suggesting such operations are a further escalation of the Israel-Hamas war. There is. He also said it was “unlikely” to achieve the desired outcome of stopping rebel attacks on maritime vessels in the Red Sea.
Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Saturday that the two airstrikes carried out in Yemen on Friday, January 12 and Saturday, January 13 were “regrettable” and “only caused infrastructure damage and civilian deaths.” ”. He also accused the United States of being “inconsistent and irresponsible.”
“It is disappointing to see some countries carrying out blatant military operations against Yemen, causing infrastructure damage and civilian deaths, and increasing security risks in Red Sea waters. “This will not help protect the safety of commercial ships and freedom of navigation. On the contrary, military operations will hinder Yemen's political progress,” Zhang said. “It is extremely unlikely that the desired goal can be achieved by such military means.”
He added: “The escalation of tensions in the Red Sea is one of the spillover effects from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is a naive illusion to passively prolong the conflict while hoping that the conflict in Gaza will not spill over.'' That's a contradiction,” he added. It is an irresponsible act that will end further spillover effects while at the same time inciting military conflict and exacerbating tensions. ”
Centcom releases statement following latest Houthi attack in Yemen: 'Designed to degrade Houthi capabilities'
China's Ambassador to the United Nations Zhang Jun addresses a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Gaza at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, December 8, 2023. (Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)
Zhang's remarks came after the United States launched an unusual offensive on Saturday, attacking a radar facility controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.
U.S. Central Command said the “follow-on action” early Saturday morning was carried out by the Navy destroyer USS Kearney and used Tomahawk ground-attack missiles. It was the second attack in two days on Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.
Iran, Russia condemn joint US-UK attack on Yemen's Houthis, warn of 'destabilizing the region'
This is a location map of Yemen including the capital Sanaa. (AP photo)
“At 3:45 a.m. (Sanaa time) on January 13, U.S. forces conducted an attack on a Houthi radar site in Yemen,” CENTCOM reported on X.
On Friday, the US military, working with Britain and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, carried out a “multilateral coalition strike” in Yemen, hitting more than 60 targets using more than 150 rounds of munitions. .
In this photo released on November 20, 2023, a Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea. (Reuters)
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Both attacks were carried out in retaliation for dozens of attacks by the Houthis on commercial and military ships in the Red Sea in recent months.
FOX News' Liz Frieden contributed to this report.
