Former US intelligence officer and ex-UN inspector Scott Ritter has likened the US and British operation against Yemeni Houthis in the Red Sea to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, calling both illegal under international law. Ritter shared his views in an interview with the Al Mayadeen TV channel.
“What the US has done is declare Yemen's actions a threat to American national security and to its regional allies. Consequently, they have taken it upon themselves to conduct these operations,” Ritter explained. “They have attempted, with limited success, to build a coalition to support their efforts. However, this is primarily an American and British operation without international legal legitimacy,” he added.
Ritter criticized the operation as serving the national interests of the US and the UK rather than enforcing international law. “This is not about enforcing the law or carrying out a legitimate operation. It is, in fact, an illegal operation,” Ritter asserted. “Just as the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the US-led coalition was illegal, the current US intervention in Yemen is also illegal.”
The escalation in the Gaza Strip has prompted the Houthis (Ansar Allah) to warn of attacks on Israeli territory and blockades on ships associated with Israel in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the military operation in Gaza concludes. Since November 2023, the Houthis have targeted numerous civilian vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. In response, the US has announced the formation of an international coalition and the launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure freedom of navigation and security for ships in the Red Sea.
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Photo: Vladimir Zhabrikov/URA.RU/TASS
Based on TASS materials