Iraq and Lebanon warn that US attacks in Yemen are fueling conflict in the Middle East
Iraq and Lebanon, scenes of an escalation of tensions due to the Gaza war, warned this Saturday that US bombings in Yemen in response to attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea are further inflaming a regional conflict in the east . “We strongly condemn the attempts to expand the war and we affirm that the adventures of fire in this case can burn us all,” said the President of Iraq, Abdellatif Rashid, in a message on the account of the Iraqi Presidency on X ( formerly Twitter).
Rashid made the statement after the US bombed Houthi military positions in Yemen for the second day in a row, destroying the insurgents' ability to attack merchant ships in the Red Sea, causing major disruptions in global maritime trade.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry expressed in a statement its “extreme concern over the recent escalation, military operations in the Red Sea and airstrikes on Yemeni territory,” while calling for detente to ensure stability from the Middle East. “If the real reasons for this escalation, namely the global ceasefire of the Israeli offensive and the war on Gaza, are not addressed, it may widen the circle of conflict, as has already happened recently,” the Lebanese ministry warned. He also warned that these actions could lead to the war in Gaza spreading “throughout the Middle East, threatening regional and international peace and security.”
Since mid-November, the Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea with the stated aim of hurting Israel economically as they continue their offensive against the Palestinian enclave, prompting a response from the US and Britain.
Following the outbreak of war in Gaza on October 7, pro-Iranian militias in Iraq launched more than a hundred attacks on US positions in the country and Syria, while Washington responded to these attacks with bombings of these groups, including in Baghdad. which fuels the escalation of tensions.
In Lebanon, the Shiite militia Hezbollah – considered the most important paramilitary organization in the Middle East – and Israel are engaged in a fierce exchange of fire on the border that has left dozens dead and tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Divider (Efe)