Turkey, Russia Condemn Strikes On Yemen: West Turning Red Sea “Into A Bloodbath”

The international reaction to the Thursday night US-UK coalition bombing of Houthi positions in Yemen continues to come in, with the more interesting of the statements being issued by Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Friday statements to the press in Istanbul said that the attack would turn the Red Sea into a “bloodbath”. He also condemned the Western coalition operation as “disproportionate” despite the previous over two dozen attacks on commercial shipping of the last months by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

“First of all, they are not proportional. All of these constitute disproportionate use of force,” Erdoğan told journalists. “It is as if they aspire to turn the Red Sea into a bloodbath.”

The Turkish leader has lately been outspoken in support of Gaza, and condemnation of Israel’s military operation, but it remains somewhat surprising that the man who leads the second largest military within the NATO alliance would say things that are actually supportive of the Houthi side. Watch: 

BREAKING — Erdogan says US and UK strikes in Yemen targeting the Houthis are disproportionate uses of force.

“They are eager to turn the Red Sea into a bloodbath. We see that the Houthis are making very successful defenses against the strikes”

pic.twitter.com/AtKolAXdI9

— Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) January 12, 2024

He also praised South Africa for taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), underscoring that Turkey is assisting with this as well: “All the documents we have given are seriously working in The Hague and we will continue to provide these documents… I believe Israel will be found guilty,” he said. “Netanyahu no longer has a hole to run to, no means to defend.”

More predictably, Russia too condemned the strikes on Yemen, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying Friday, “We strongly condemn these irresponsible actions by the United States and its allies.” She further told reporters that Moscow has called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council.

“A large-scale military escalation in the Red Sea region could strike out the positive trends that have emerged recently in the Yemeni settlement process, as well as provoke a destabilization of the situation throughout the Middle East,” she warned.

Notably, Russia and China had on Wednesday abstained from a UNSC resolution demanding that the Houthis immediately halt all attacks on international shipping.

Below is a round-up of the Middle East regional reaction to the major Thursday night strikes on Yemen, as cited in various sources including Al Jazeera,, Daily Mail, and Reuters…

Iran’s Foreign Ministry:

“These attacks are a clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a breach of international laws. These attacks will only contribute to insecurity and instability in the region.”

Lebanese Hezbollah:

“The American aggression confirms once again that the U.S. is a full partner in the tragedies and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza and the region.”

“Hezbollah strongly condemns the blatant American-British aggression against brotherly Yemen, its security and sovereignty, and its free and honorable people, which stood with all strength, courage and responsibility alongside the Palestinian people and their valiant resistance, and did their utmost to break the siege on it by all available means and capabilities.”

Iraq’s Shia militias:

“Today’s aggression against Yemen has doubled the solidarity of the peoples with the Axis of Resistance and the right of its sacred cause to stand against tyranny.”

Saudi Arabia

“The Kingdom is following with great concern the military operations in the Red Sea region and the raids on sites in Yemen. We stress the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region and call for restraint and avoiding escalation.”

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And China is urging calm, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying, “China is concerned about the escalation of tensions in the Red Sea.” She added: “We urge the relevant parties to keep calm and exercise restraint, to prevent the conflict from expanding.”