From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 12, 2024
Tens of thousands attend pro-Houthi rallies across Yemen after US, UK ‘terror’ strikes
Tens of thousands of Yemenis gather in several cities to hear their leaders condemn US and British strikes on their country in response to attacks by Houthi rebels on Red Sea shipping.
The US and Britain carried out dozens of air strikes on Houthi military targets overnight, widening a wave of regional conflict unleashed by Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught.
“Your strikes on Yemen are terrorism,” says Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, referring to the United States. “The United States is the Devil.”
The Houthis, who rule much of Yemen, said they would target all ships heading to Israel, more than 1,000 miles away, and warned international shipping companies against using Israeli ports. Most of the ships they’ve wound up attacking have not been tied to Israel.
A large rally in Sanaa, Yemen in support of the Houthis and its actions in the region. pic.twitter.com/3xpQhxl1eZ
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) January 12, 2024
“We did not attack the shores of America, nor did we move in the American islands, nor did we attack them. Your strikes on our country are terrorism,” says Al-Houthi.
“They are terrorists and they are amazing at lying to the people of the world, but the awareness of the Yemeni people is a different awareness. Do you, Yemeni, think that America is defending itself or is it a terrorist?”
In Sanaa, protesters stomped on Israeli and American flags.
