Erdogan accuses US, UK of 'seeking bloodbath' in Red Sea

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during the Justice and Development (AK) Party Candidate Announcement Meeting at Halic Congress Center in Istanbul, Turkiye on January 07, 2024 [Mustafa Kamacı – Anadolu Agency]

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused US and British forces of seeking to turn the Red Sea into a “bloodbath” following pre-dawn airstrikes on rebel-held Yemen, local Turkish media reports.

According to the report, Erdogan, addressing reporters after Friday prayers in Istanbul, criticised the strikes as a “disproportionate use of force”, drawing parallels with Israel’s actions in Gaza.

The military action early on 12 January was in response to weeks of disruptive attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who claim solidarity with Gaza.

The airstrikes have intensified concerns about a broader conflict in a region marked by heightened violence involving Tehran-aligned groups in Yemen, Lebanon, Iraq and Syria, especially since the Israel-Hamas war began in early October last year.

READ: Russia condemns US, UK for ‘irresponsible’ strikes on Yemen

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