By Karim Adel El-Sayed
ANKARA
In an echo of Cold War faultlines, world powers took sharply contrasting views on Thursday over Saudi Arabian military operations against Houthi positions in Yemen.
The U.K. joined Turkey, Egypt and France on Thursday in publicly declaring its support for Saudi Arabia's anti-Houthi military operations and airstrikes in Yemen that started late Wednesday. Russia, Iran, Syria and Iraq, meanwhile, have labeled them as “aggression.”
- Global support
“We support the Saudi Arabian military intervention in Yemen following President Hadi’s request for support by ‘all means and measures to protect Yemen and deter Houthi aggression,’” a U.K. foreign office spokesperson said.
The spokesperson denounced, “recent Houthi actions and expansion in Aden and Taiz,” saying they signified the Houthis' “disregard for the political process.”
Stressing that the UN Security Council has made clear that Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi is Yemen’s legitimate president, the spokesperson said: “the solution to the crisis must be a political one.”
“The international community will continue to use diplomatic and humanitarian support to achieve long-term stability, avoid civil war, economic collapse and a deeper humanitarian crisis in Yemen,” the spokesperson said.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "We support the military operation launched by a coalition force consisting of the countries in the region, led by the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council against the Houthi movement.”
"We believe that this operation will contribute to the prevention of the threat of civil war and chaos that has emerged and to the restoration of the legitimate state authority,” the statement continued.
The Egyptian government announced its "political and military" support for the airstrikes launched by Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies, sending four naval vessels to Yemen's strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the strikes come, "in response to the request of the legitimate authorities of Yemen."
It condemned what it called "acts of destabilization" committed by the Houthi militias and urged supporters of the Shiite group to "disassociate immediately and return to the table of political dialogue."
"The operation is necessary and limited and is aimed at consolidating legitimacy in Yemen," Yemeni Foreign Minister Riad Yassin told The Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh.
"It aims to prevent Yemen from falling into an abyss and to undermine any agenda that aims to promote tension and chaos in the region," he added.
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi, speaking at the same event, said "I reiterate support for the operation, which aims to end the Houthi coup at the request of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi."
- International division
Support for the military operations has been far from universal, however. Russia, Iran, Syria and Iraq have all come out against the airstrikes.
Russia expressed “deep concern” over the worsening situation in Yemen.
The ministry called on all parties in Yemen to stop military activity.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif urged for an "immediate stop" to the operations in Yemen, calling them a violation of the country's sovereignty.
“We will spare no effort to contain the crisis in Yemen,” Zarif told Iran's official news network Al-Alam.
Separately, the Syrian Arab News Agency described the Saudi-led airstrikes on Houthis as a “blatant aggression."
Iraq's foreign minister said his government rejects the offensive.
- Saudi operation launched late Wednesday
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait said the operation had come, "in response to a request by Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi to protect Yemen from the aggression of Houthi militias."
The statement went on to accuse the Houthis of being "the tool of foreign powers that seek to harm Yemen's security and stability."
According to Saudi media, warplanes from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Morocco and Sudan are participating in the anti-Houthi offensive.
Arab states, including Sudan and Libya's Tobruk government, have expressed support for the Saudi-led offensive, which is also backed by the United States.
Pakistan also said they were ready to participate in a ground offensive against the Houthis, the media said.
The United States said that it was ready to provide logistical and intelligence support for the anti-Houthi campaign.
At least 25 people were killed and 40 others injured in the Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemeni capital Sana'a, a Yemeni Health Ministry official said Thursday.
Yemen has been rocked by turmoil since September 2014 when pro-Houthi forces overran Sana'a, from where they have since sought to extend their influence to other parts of the country.
Some Gulf States accuse predominantly-Shia Iran of supporting the Houthi insurgency.
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