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Iraq and Lebanon warn that US strikes in Yemen are fueling conflict in the Middle East

Scenes of rising tensions due to the war in Gaza Iraq and Lebanon warned this Saturday that the United States’ bombing against Yemen in response to attacks by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea is fueling a regional conflict in the east. , Iraqi President Abdellatif Rashid said in a message on the Iraqi Presidency account on Twitter, “We strongly condemn attempts to expand the war, and we affirm that the thrill of fire, in this case, can burn us all ” Formerly Twitter).

Rashid made the comments as the United States bombed Houthi military targets in Yemen for the second consecutive day to destroy the rebels’ ability to attack merchant ships in the Red Sea, an action that could seriously disrupt global maritime trade. Has been.

The Lebanese Foreign Ministry expressed “extreme concern about the latest escalation, the military operation in the Red Sea and the aerial bombardment against Yemeni territory” in a statement, calling for detente to guarantee stability in the Middle East. “Not addressing the true causes of this escalation, namely the Israeli attacks and a global ceasefire in the war against Gaza, could lead to an expansion of the conflict, as has recently begun to happen,” the Lebanese department warned. He also warned that these actions could lead to war in the Strip “spreading throughout the Middle East, threatening regional and international peace and security.”

Since mid-November, the Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks against merchant ships in the Red Sea with the stated aim of harming Israel economically as they continue their offensive against the Palestinian territory, prompting criticism from the US and Britain. There has been a reaction.

Since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7, pro-Iranian fighters in Iraq have launched more than a hundred attacks on US targets in the country and in Syria, while Washington has responded to these attacks by bombing these groups, including in Baghdad. Promote stress.

In Lebanon, Shia militia Hezbollah – considered the most important paramilitary organization in the Middle East – and Israel have engaged in a cross-border firefight, killing dozens and displacing thousands on both sides of the border. divider(ef)