Red Sea tensions escalate: Yemen's Houthi targets raided by US, UK forces following ship attacks

Erdogan was asked to comment about the overnight attack against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen on Friday. The operation was led by American and British forces with the additional support of allies such as Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands.

"What they've accomplished is a disproportionate use of force," Erdogan responded, addressing journalists after Friday prayers at the mosque.

"At this moment, they're trying to convert the Red Sea into a sea of blood. Yemen, along with the Houthis, promises to use all of its power to provide the necessary response to both the United States and the United Kingdom operating in the region," he added.

The attack against Yemeni rebels drew the ire of a few regional countries. As per the rebels' spokesman, the attack resulted in five fatalities.

The Houthis justify their assaults on ships affiliated with Israel as a demonstration of solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, an area currently witnessing conflict between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas. However, a significant number of the units affected by the attacks maintain no relationship to the region.

Jordan's Foreign Minister, Ayman Safadi, placed the blame upon Israel. He declared that the international community has been unsuccessful in curtailing Israel's "aggression" towards Palestinians. According to Jordan's national news agency, Petra, the country's administration is observing the situation in the Red Sea "with concern".

Iran has been supporting and funding the Houthi movement, and by Western accounts, enabling the Houthis to identify and attack the targeted ships. Iran denounced the raid as a "blatant violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity" and also denounced it as an infraction of "international law".

Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kannani stated that the raid "will destabilize the region". Meanwhile, in Lebanon, Hezbollah, a terrorist organization backed by Iran, maintained, "America's aggression verifies that the USA is entirely accountable for the crimes perpetrated by the Zionist enemy".

In 2015, Saudi Arabia intervened in neighboring Yemen to support the Yemeni government, and it recently called for "avoiding escalation." The country is closely monitoring the situation in the region. "The Kingdom emphasizes the need to preserve the security and stability of the Red Sea region as international navigation freedom in the region is vital," according to an official statement.

German logistics company Hapag-Lloyd reported on Friday that ongoing Houthi threats since November of the previous year had raised the monthly operation costs of their carrier by "tens of millions of euros." Many companies are rerouting their container ships to bypass these zones in response to the safety risks. Consequently, US deliveries have been delayed by a week and European deliveries by two weeks, as reported by Reuters.