MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia on Friday scolded the United States and Britain for military strikes on Yemen which Moscow said escalated tensions across the Middle East and showed a complete disregard for international law.
Russia also called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday to discuss the issue.
“The U.S. air strikes on Yemen are another example of the Anglo-Saxons’ perversion of UN Security Council resolutions,” Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, said.
Zakharova said the strikes showed a “complete disregard for international law” and were “escalating the situation in the region”.
The United States and Britain launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the movement’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a dramatic regional widening of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
A spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis said there was no justification for the U.S.-British attack and said the Iran-backed group will continue targeting ships heading towards Israel.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)