NATO Considers Iran Responsible To Stop The Houthi Seraka

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION/DOK NATO

JAKARTA - The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO on Friday said Iran was responsible for ending the Houthi attack, and called the attacks carried out by the US and Britain a "defensive" measure.

Over the past few months, we have seen Houthi forces carry out dozens of attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. This attack is a direct threat to maritime security and international trade, NATO spokesman Dylan White said in a statement to Anadolu quoted by ANTARA, Friday, January 12.

White said the UN Security Council had condemned the Houthis attack, and the international community had also warned that there would be consequences if these attacks were not ended.

The attack (US-England) is defensive, and is designed to maintain freedom of navigation in one of the most important waterways in the world, he said of an attack by the US-UK targeting a number of Houthis in Yemen on Friday, January 12 morning.

The US-UK attack received support from Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, and Bahrain.

The Houthi attack must end. The Houthi forces are supported, supplied, and equipped by Iran, "said White.

"So Tehran has a special responsibility to rule its proxies," he continued.

The onslaught of the US-British targeting a number of Houthi-owned locations in Yemen was carried out in retaliation for drone and missile attacks by the Iranian-backed Yemeni armed group against international shipping routes in the Red Sea.

The Houthi action that attacked ships deemed to be connected to Israel in the Red Sea began in November in response to Israel's war in Gaza.

The Red Sea is an important territorial route for international trade, particularly for oil and fuel shipments, which connects the Suez Canal in Egypt with Aden Bay through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The Houthis have launched 27 attacks on the Red Sea since November 19, according to the US military.