The missile attacks by the United States and the United Kingdom against the alleged military strongholds of the Ansar Allah (Houthi) rebel movement in Yemen is a dangerous provocation that will lead to escalation in the Middle East, ex-foreign minister of Lebanon Adnan Mansour said.

The Bab-el-Mandeb strait at the mouth of the Red Sea is an important artery for international trade, where tankers carry 20% of all oil produced worldwide, the expert noted. "It is unacceptable from an international law standpoint to solve navigation safety problems in such a sensitive region through military force, especially after the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2722 on the situation in the Red Sea basin," Mansour said.

The ex-foreign minister compared the situation in the region with the 1956 crisis caused by a trilateral campaign against Egypt by the UK, France and Israel after the decision of President Gamal Abdel Nasser to nationalize the Suez Canal. "It is safe to say that this latest foray by imperialist powers, this time against Yemen in the 21st century, will end in the same shameful outcome for them," the expert said.

"The way out of the current situation in the Red Sea basin lies in eliminating the root cause," Mansour said. "Ansar Allah leaders started delivering strikes against the territory of Israel and ships associated with it in response to the aggression in the Gaza Strip," the expert noted. "Accordingly, an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Palestinian enclave will stop the conflict expanding, as it is starting to take on a regional character," he added.

The expert expressed regret in connection with the West’s position preventing the adoption of a resolution by the UN Security Council demanding the establishment of a truce to provide urgent humanitarian aid to Palestinians and search for a diplomatic settlement.

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