The Houthis, who support the Palestinian group Hamas, called the attacks “barbaric” and warned they will continue to target ships heading towards Israel. There was no comment yet from Israel.

Here are some of the international reactions to the attack, which threatens to further inflame tensions in the region.

Iran

“The attacks are happening in an effort to extend the full support of the US and UK in approximately the past 100 days for the war crimes of the Zionist regime against the Palestinian people and the besieged citizens of Gaza,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said: “These attacks are a clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a breach of international laws.”

Saudi Arabia

The foreign ministry called for restraint and “avoiding escalation” after the strikes and said it was monitoring the situation with “great concern”.

“The kingdom emphasizes the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region, as the freedom of navigation in it is an international demand,” it said.

Turkey

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the strikes and said the US and UK are “trying to turn the Red Sea into a sea of blood”.

“All of these acts are disproportionate use of force,” he said, adding that “Israel also resorts to this disproportionate use of force in Palestine.”

Jordan

Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi said: “The Israeli aggression on Gaza and its continued committing of war crimes against the Palestinian people and violating international law with impunity is responsible for the rising tensions witnessed in the region.”

The stability of the region and its security were closely tied, Safadi said, according to state media.

“The international community is at a humanitarian, moral, legal and security crossroads,” he added. “Either it shoulders its responsibilities and ends Israel’s arrogant aggression and protects civilians, or allows Israeli Prime Benjamin Netanyahu and his extremist ministers to drag us to a regional war that threatens world peace.”

NATO

“These strikes were defensive and designed to preserve freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways. The (Houthi) attacks must end,” said a spokesperson for the military alliance.

NATO was not involved in the attack, but the US and UK are part of the alliance, while two other NATO members, the Netherlands and Canada, provided support.

Hezbollah

The Lebanese group, Hezbollah, said the US aggression confirms that Washington is in “full partnership” with Israel.

“The US is a full partner in the tragedies and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza and the region,” a statement from the group said.

Hamas

Condemning the strikes, Hamas said in a statement that the US and UK governments will bear responsibility for their attack’s impacts on the security of the region.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The Gaza-based Palestinian group Islamic Jihad has said that the escalation confirms that the US administration is “waging a war of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza”.

“We call on the people of the Arab and Islamic nation to take action in rejection of the aggression against Yemen, which rose up in defense of Gaza and the holy places of Muslims in Palestine.”

Russia

Russia said the strikes violate international law and wrongly take advantage of a United Nations Security Council resolution that had demanded the Houthis stop their attacks on shipping lanes.

“The US air strikes on Yemen are another example of the Anglo-Saxons’ perversion of UN Security Council resolutions,” said Maria Zakharova, the foreign ministry spokesperson.

Zakharova said the strikes showed a “complete disregard for international law” and were “escalating the situation in the region”.

France

France reaffirmed its condemnation of Houthi strikes on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, calling for an immediate stop to them.

“With those armed actions, the Houthis bear the extremely serious responsibility of the escalation in the region,” the French foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.

Germany

Germany’s foreign office said the strikes were meant to prevent further attacks. “Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea,” the ministry posted on X.

Belgium

Belgium is working with its partners in the European Union and the United States to restore security in the Red Sea region and avoid any spillover, Belgium’s foreign minister Hadja Lahbib said on X.

“The ongoing attacks by the Houthis are a real danger for the stability of the region and represent an escalation that benefits no one,” she wrote.

The Netherlands

“The US-British action is based on the right of self-defense, aims to protect free passage and is focused on de-escalation. The Netherlands, with its long history as a sea-faring country, places significant importance on the right of free passage and supports this targeted operation,” said Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Denmark

Denmark fully supports the US and British strikes, according to a statement by Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

Oman

Oman denounced the military action from “friendly countries”, state media reported. Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said the attack went against his country’s advice and will only add fuel to an extremely dangerous situation.

US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell

McConnell welcomed the US-led coalition’s operations against “Houthi is responsible for violently disrupting international commerce in the Red Sea and attacking American vessels”.

Democratic US Representative Ro Khanna

Khanna said that President Joe Biden “needs to come to Congress before launching a strike against the Houthis in Yemen and involving us in another Middle East conflict”.

“That is Article I of the Constitution. I will stand up for that regardless of whether a Democrat or Republican is in the White House.”

Democratic US Representative Val Hoyle

Hoyle stressed that “the air strikes have not been authorised by Congress”.

“The Constitution is clear – Congress has the sole authority to authorize military involvement in overseas conflicts. Every president must first come to Congress and ask for military authorisation, regardless of party.”

British MP Jeremy Corbyn

British Member of Parliament and former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said the military action was “a reckless act of escalation that will only cause more death and suffering”.

“It is utterly disgraceful that Parliament has not even been consulted. When will we learn from our mistakes and realise that war is not the answer?”, Corbyn wrote on X.

British MP Diane Abbott

British independent member of parliament Diane Abbott said that at a time when the UK government should be backing a ceasefire in Gaza, it was instead sending “jet fighters to back the US against the Houthis”.

“No parliamentary approval and no idea where it will all end,” Abbott said on X

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The visit indicates progress in the Oman-mediated consultations between Riyadh and Sanaa, which run parallel to United Nations peace efforts. Negotiations also gained momentum since archrivals Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish ties in a deal brokered by China.

The envoys, who landed late on Saturday, will meet with the head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, to hold talks on ending hostilities and lifting a Saudi-led “blockade” on Yemeni ports, Houthi news agency SABA reported.

Mohammed al-Bukaiti, a Houthi leader, said on Twitter that Saudi and Omani officials would discuss “ways to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region.”

He said achieving an honorable peace between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia would be “a triumph for both parties”, and urged all sides to take steps to “preserve a peaceful atmosphere and prepare to turn the page of the past”.

Hans Grundberg, the UN envoy for Yemen, described the ongoing efforts, including the Saudi and Omani talks in Sanaa, as “the closest Yemen has been to real progress towards lasting peace” since the war began.

“This is a moment to be seized and built on and a real opportunity to start an inclusive political process under UN auspices to sustainably end the conflict,” he told The Associated Press news agency.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from the Qatari capital, Doha, said that the political landscape in Yemen is complex and that negotiations could be drawn out.

“The United Nations have been trying for some time to bring all parties together to negotiate a political settlement,” he said.

He added that the sides understand that it will be extremely difficult to settle all the differences among them.

Content of the talks

Sources have told the Reuters news agency that the Saudi-Houthi talks are focused on a full reopening of Houthi-controlled ports and Sanaa airport, payment of wages for public servants, rebuilding efforts and a timeline for foreign forces to exit the country.

Abdulghani Al Iryani of the Sanna Center for Strategic Studies said it is clear that battle fatigue is being experienced on all sides of the conflict.

“Houthis are happy talking to Saudis in the absence of other Yemeni parties and that is quite a risk,” he told Al Jazeera from Amman.

“Yemen is now controlled by different armed groups and they control certain revenue streams,” Al Iryani said, adding that a minimum consensus on the shape of the state after the war should be agreed on for fruitful negotiations.

Yemen’s war is seen as one of several proxy battles between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Houthis, aligned with Iran, toppled a Saudi-backed government from Sanaa in late 2014, and have de facto control of northern Yemen.

They have been fighting against a Saudi-led military alliance since 2015 in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and left 80 percent of Yemen’s population dependent on humanitarian aid.

A Houthi official said on Saturday that the group had received 13 detainees released by Saudi Arabia in exchange for a Saudi detainee freed earlier, ahead of a wider prisoner exchange agreed to by the warring sides.

At talks in Switzerland last month attended by the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Yemeni government and the Houthi rebels agreed to free 887 detainees. The 13 prisoners are part of that agreement, Houthi official Abdul Qader al-Mortada said.

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Informed Yemeni sources revealed on Friday that Saudi Arabia has informed the Yemeni presidential leadership council of its decision to end the war forever.

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Mohammad Jamshidi, the deputy director of political affairs at the president’s office reacted to recent remarks by the Chinese President during the visit to Saudi Arabia.

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© WFP/Hebatallah Munassar
An infant eats supplementary food at a World Food Programme distribution 
point in Mokha, Yemen.

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The ministry added that Egypt has been closely following up on such development on the Yemeni scene, given that the council’s mission is assuming the tasks of the transitional phase as well as those of the president of the republic in abidance by the constitution, the Gulf initiative, and its executive mechanisms.

Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi stepped down Thursday passing on his duties to a presidential council. He also dismissed his deputy to pave the way for the revival of negotiations that stalled for seven years, as reported by Reuters.

After Hadi, who is based in Riyadh, announced his decision, Saudi Arabia pledged financial aid worth $3 billion to Yemen. It also called for the council, consisting of eight members, to hold talks with Houthis, who control the northern part of the country, and who carried out attacks against different facilities on Saudi territories.

On April 1, a nationwide two-month truce was agreed upon between the warring parties in Yemen, which would allow the entry of oil imports into Houthi strongholds and increase flights from Sanaa airport.

U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg stated that the truce, which is the first of its kind since 2016, can be renewed if there is congruence among the parties involved. It is noted that the truce began Saturday which marked the first day of the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The ceasefire is expected to relieve Yemenis from suffering for a while, as 80 percent of the population relies on aid amid a collapse of all necessary services, including healthcare.

The deal provides the suspension of all military operations, including cross-border ones, and permitting tankers transporting fuel into Houthi-held Hodeidah port as well as the landing and take-off of commercial flights at Sanaa International Airport “to predetermined destinations in the region,” according to Reuters.

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The lawmakers at the Iranian parliament condemned the crimes committed by the Saudi coalition against the Yemeni people and called for an end to the war on Yemen.

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News sources on late Friday reported that the Saudi coalition attacked various areas in different Yemeni provinces. Saudi fighter jets have bombed two towns of Hajjah province 14 times, Almasirah reported.

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Yet warfare has only intensified this year. Violence plaguing Yemen has escalated internally, regionally, and on an international level – particularly since January 17 Houthi attacks against Abu Dhabi.

A continuation of this trend, which appears likely, will only lead to Yemen’s humanitarian disaster – described by the United Nations as the world’s worst – worsening, analysts say.

Beginning in late 2021, the Saudi-led military coalition grew more cohesive. Consequently, the Houthis have been finding themselves in a weaker position with Ansarullah – the dominant Houthi militia – losing territory captured in 2020-21.

Observers say this point is important in understanding Houthi motivations for attacking Abu Dhabi with drones and missiles this year. The rebels are currently attempting to pressure the United Arab Emirates (UAE) into ending its support for certain forces in Yemen such as al-Weyat al-Amaliqa (the Giants Brigades).

Yet many experts say this Houthi strategy could easily fail and backfire against the fighters who have ruled the capital Sanaa since 2014. For Ansarullah, there is a risk these attacks against Abu Dhabi will result in the Emiratis intensifying their support for anti-Houthi forces while aligning more closely with Saudi Arabia.

‘Heal coalition rifts’

Ansarullah’s firing of drones and missiles at the UAE could possibly “steel the UAE’s resolve to help end Houthi expansionist ambitions, heal some of the rifts inside the coalition, and encourage more coordinated military action and political collaboration on the ground”, explained Elisabeth Kendall, a leading Yemen expert and a senior research fellow in Arabic & Islamic Studies at Pembroke College at the University of Oxford.

“The UAE is unlikely to be deflected from its long-term strategic goals in Yemen. The publicly stated aim of the recent Houthi attacks was to pressure the UAE into pulling back its support for coalition counteroffensives in Yemen. However, it may well have the reverse effect,” Kendall told Al Jazeera.

Another potential consequence of Ansarullah’s attacks against Abu Dhabi could be the Biden administration catering to the Emirati request to redesignate the dominant Houthi militia as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” (FTO). This would reimplement a policy from the administration of former US President Donald Trump that Biden reversed a year ago.

There are serious concerns about how this move on Washington’s part would exacerbate Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe against the backdrop of escalating violence on the ground.

“If ground fighting and airstrikes continue and the parties to the conflict continue to wage warfare against each other – and if the US moves ahead with the FTO designation while the UN struggles to fund its aid appeals – then it’s very hard to see the humanitarian situation doing anything other than getting worse,” said Peter Salisbury, a Yemen specialist with the International Crisis Group.

‘Out of reach’

Without the war itself ending, there is no reason to expect any improvements from a humanitarian standpoint.

“Unfortunately, consistent measures to address the dire humanitarian crisis in Yemen are inextricably tied up with the conflict itself,” Gerald Feierstein, a former US ambassador to Yemen and the Middle East Institute’s senior vice president, told Al Jazeera.

“While the international community will continue to provide support to alleviate the humanitarian conditions, efforts to end it will depend on the resumption of economic activity and reliable access to the country by international aid organizations and the donor community. That can’t happen without an end to the conflict.”

The various sides in Yemen’s conflict are fighting an economic war in addition to waging a struggle militarily, analysts say.

“A lack of food or humanitarian goods is not the problem, nor has it been since 2018. Rather, rapidly rising prices put food and basic goods out of reach for many Yemenis,” said Alex Stark, a senior researcher at New America.

“Rising prices are driven by several factors related to the war, including the fact that each side produces its own currency, corruption, a lack of jobs that provide a decent income, etc.”

So far this year there has been only further disregard for innocent lives, with civilians paying for the continuation of the crisis.

At least 80 people were killed in a coalition air raid on a prison in northern Yemen on January 21. The Saudi-led alliance denied being behind the attack.

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, has sounded the alarm about new waves of internally displaced people in Yemen along with a rising death toll.

Increase in targeting civilians

As a result of military strikes hitting airports, the detention center, telecommunication infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and a water facility, the UN special envoy for Yemen and humanitarian coordinator predicted that January 2022 would be the deadliest month in Yemen since warfare began nearly seven years ago.

“What we have been seeing since the Saudi and the UAE-led coalition’s retaliation for the [January 17 attack against Abu Dhabi] is an increase in targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in Yemen,” said Afrah Nasser, a Yemen researcher for Human Rights Watch.

“The coalition has an unlawful record of unlawful attacks indiscriminately and disproportionately killing and injuring thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of civilians. It’s alarming where the conflict is going in terms of the shocking level of civilian harm. I am extremely concerned that this year might become the deadliest year since the conflict began,” Nasser told Al Jazeera.

One possible silver lining of the January 17 attack against the UAE and retaliatory attacks carried out by the Saudi-led military coalition is that Yemen has recaptured some attention internationally.

If current diplomatic activities aimed at pressuring the combatants to make concessions and engage each constructively can be effectively capitalized on, there could perhaps be hope for a situation in which the various players in Yemen’s conflict begin sitting down in good faith for serious talks.

That said, as is always the case, it will be difficult for major powers to influence the powerful Houthi militia Ansarullah.

“The international community has little leverage over the Houthis,” said Kendall. “Every time any concession is agreed, the Houthis interpret it as a sign of weakness and increase their offensive.”

Yet, ending warfare in Yemen will require the Houthis to believe it will serve their interests to negotiate a political settlement rather than continue fighting.

As Feierstein put it: “Until the Houthis understand that they will not be able to achieve their objectives on the battlefield, efforts to promote a comprehensive ceasefire and launch negotiations will be unsuccessful.”

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