NYN | News
The Saudi newspaper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported that the United Kingdom has joined the United States in linking peace in Yemen to the cessation of operations carried out by the Sana’a government forces in the Red Sea.
The newspaper added that in an interview with “Lord Tariq Ahmad, the British Minister of State for the Middle East,” he said, “Certainly, the two matters are interconnected.”
He added, “The Houthis cannot continue to launch attacks in the Red Sea while hoping that peace will come to them in one way or another.”
This comes about two weeks after the U.S. envoy to the Security Council, Robert Wood, announced that a peace agreement in Yemen has become elusive due to naval operations carried out by Sana’a forces against Israeli navigation. In a speech before the Security Council during its session on Yemen in mid-May, he said, “Despite the continued truce, the sad reality today is that Houthi attacks against commercial and naval vessels in the Red Sea have made continuous progress towards sustainable peace elusive.”
The Sana’a government accuses both America and Britain of obstructing peace in Yemen.
Since the end of last year, Sana’a government forces have been targeting Israeli ships and those associated with them in the Red and Arabian Seas before announcing that their operations would extend to parts of the Indian Ocean. Recently, they announced the beginning of the fourth phase of escalation against ships “even in the Mediterranean” to support Palestinians in Gaza. They claim that their operations against “Israel” will continue until the latter stops the genocide in Gaza and lifts the siege.
In response, America and Britain launched airstrikes on Yemen, prompting Sana’a government forces to announce that their operations would include targeting American and British commercial and military ships in retaliation for what they called “American-British aggression.”
On February 19, 2024, the European Union announced the launch of a military operation named “Aspides,” led by Italy in the Red Sea, while the United States announced the launch of an operation named “Guardian of Prosperity,” both aimed at countering the attacks carried out by Sana’a government forces against “Israel.”
