Houthi Revolutionary Committee Chairman Calls for U.S. and U.K. Withdrawal from the Red Sea; 'We Did Not Attack America's Shores'

Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, Chairman of the Houthi Revolutionary Committee, stated that 'we did not attack America's shores' and urged the U.S. and U.K. to return to their own countries instead of protecting Israeli ships, reiterating that 'any attack on Yemen will face a powerful response.' According to CNN, he rejected U.S. claims that attacks on Yemen were for 'self-defense,' saying, 'We did not attack America's shores; we did not reach Florida's shores, we did not attack American islands.' In a speech to demonstrators in Sana'a, he criticized the U.S. and U.K. for their 'aggression' in airstrikes on Thursday and advised them to heed the warning from Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the Houthi leader. The Houthi leader had previously stated that 'any attack on Yemen will face a powerful response.' A Pentagon spokesperson indicated that U.S. officials believe the Houthis' capabilities have been 'weakened' after the attacks on them on Friday morning and that they are no longer capable of repeating their combined attacks against commercial ships. Following U.S. and U.K. airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, a large number of Houthi supporters demonstrated in Sana'a on Friday while holding Palestinian flags. In response to the Houthis' disregard for U.S. and U.K. warnings and U.N. Security Council resolutions, U.S. and U.K. defense forces targeted positions of this Iran-backed group in Yemen in a joint operation early Friday morning, Middle Eastern time. John Kirby, a White House spokesperson, stated that Biden decided to attack this group after the 'combined' attacks by the Houthis on Tuesday, January 9, with eighteen drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile on maritime transport in the Red Sea. The U.S. and U.K. airstrikes on January 22 against Iran-backed Houthi positions in Yemen have drawn widespread reactions from American political figures and governments around the world. Biden stated that the Islamic Republic avoids conflict with the U.S. and that we are not seeking a proxy war with Iran. A review of reactions to U.S. and U.K. attacks on Houthi positions in Yemen shows that the British Maritime Security Organization reported that the Houthis mistakenly targeted a tanker carrying Russian oil. Major transportation companies welcomed the U.S. and U.K. attacks on the Houthis, leading tankers to change their routes. Joe Biden confirmed the attack on Houthi positions in Yemen, stating that the international community's response to this group was 'united and decisive.' The Houthis reported that 11 militants were killed and wounded in the U.S. and U.K. attacks, while the U.S. Air Force stated that 60 military targets of the Houthis in Yemen were attacked.