(CLO) US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has pledged to continue missile strikes on Houthi forces in Yemen until they stop attacks on international shipping. However, the rebel group said it would escalate tensions.
"I want to be clear that this operation is about ensuring freedom of navigation and restoring deterrence. As soon as the Houthis say, 'We will stop firing on your ships, we will stop firing on your drones,' this operation will end. But until then, we will not stop attacking," Hegseth said in an interview with Fox Business.
The Red Sea region on the map. Photo: Mappr
US President Donald Trump also tweeted that he would use “overwhelming lethal force” to stop the Houthi attacks. He also warned Iran, demanding that Tehran “immediately” end its support for the rebel group.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said the group would continue to target US ships in the Red Sea if the US did not stop its attacks on Yemen. "If they continue their aggression, we will continue to escalate the tension," Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for "maximum restraint and a cessation of all military activity" in Yemen. His spokesman warned that further escalation could "fuel a cycle of retaliation, further destabilise Yemen and the region, and seriously threaten the country's already dire humanitarian situation".
Meanwhile, the commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, General Hossein Salami, denied that his country was involved in the Houthi attacks. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, calling on the US to stop the airstrikes and stressing that Washington cannot dictate Tehran's foreign policy.
Russia also called on the US to stop the attack. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to urge "an immediate cessation of the use of force and the importance of all sides engaging in political dialogue".
The Houthis have carried out several attacks on ships since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in late 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Cao Phong (according to AJ, DW, Fox)
Source: https://www.congluan.vn/my-the-se-tan-cong-khong-ngung-nghi-vao-houthi-cang-thang-ngay-cang-leo-thang-post338834.html
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