Sanaa: Yemenis in tens and thousands took to streets in multiple cities on Friday in response to their leaders who condemned the United States and Britain airstrikes in reaction to attacks by the Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthi, on Red Sea shipping.

The US and the United Kingdom carried out 23 overnight airstrikes against Houthi positions targeting the Yemeni capital Sanaa as well as the provinces of Al Hudaydah, Taiz, Hajjah, and Saada, provincial government officials told Sputnik.

The airstrikes have further triggered the political scenario in the region.

"Your strikes on Yemen are terrorism," Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, was quoted by Reuters, referring to the United States. "The United States is the Devil," he said.

Houthi's Response

The Iran-backed Shia Islamist political and military organisation in Yemen has vowed strong retaliation against the United States and Britain for airstrikes carried out earlier on Friday in areas under their control.

According to a statement from Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea, the American and British forces launched a "brutal aggression," with 73 raids targeting the capital along with the four governorates.

The raids have resulted in the deaths of five people, with at least six injured, said Sarea.

He strongly condemned the strikes and said the Houthis "will not hesitate to target all sources of threat."

He also warned that "American-British aggression will not go unanswered and unpunished."

The spokesman reiterated the Houthis' stance in support of the Palestinian cause, saying the raids "will not deter us from our position in support of the oppression of the Palestinian people."

Additionally, the Houthi representative confirmed the rebel group will continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Arabian and Red Seas.

The Houthis have previously announced their plans to prevent the passage of ships linked to Israeli companies or bound for Israel in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea until the latter's military actions in the Gaza Strip end.

Diversion For Gaza Genocide?

The US and the UK are trying to divert attention from the genocide in the Gaza Strip with ill-conceived airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, Hezam al-Asad, a member of the movement's political bureau, said on Friday.

The US and UK officials confirmed the airstrikes, saying these were targeting Houthi military facilities and positions in Yemen in response to attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and not civilian population centres.

The Red and Arabian Seas will remain closed to Israeli-associated ships until the conflict in the Gaza Strip ends, the political bureau member added.

"Our armed forces are well prepared, and the aggressors will regret their aggression against the Yemeni people," asserted al-Asad.

The Houthis said they were carrying out strikes against the UK and US military bases and positions and threatened that Washington and London would pay a "high price" for this massive attack.

The United States and the United Kingdom will pay a "high price" for their airstrikes, Hussein al-Ezzi, the deputy foreign minister of the movement, said Friday.

Cry Beyond Yemen

The airstrikes by the United States and UK against positions and facilities of the Houthis in Yemen have provoked protests in front of the White House, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Protesters gathered near the White House late on Thursday, calling on Washington to stop conflicts in the Middle East. Activists, in addition to ending the Gaza war, are also calling on Washington to keep "hands off of Yemen."

The action is proceeding peacefully, and the police are present at the site but not interfering, the correspondent reported.

On Thursday, the US Central Command said in a statement that the Houthis have attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea 27 times since November 19.

UK Defends Its Action

The United Kingdom’s airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen are permitted under international law because of Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, including British-flagged vessels, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s office said on Friday.

According to the office, Houthis have conducted many attacks on vessels in the Red Sea "for a sustained period." On January 9, the Yemeni rebel movement attacked a UK warship, the office added.

"Military intervention to strike carefully identified targets in order to effectively downgrade the Houthi’s capabilities and deter further attacks was lawfully taken," the office said in a statement.

"The UK is permitted under international law to use force in such circumstances where acting in self-defence is the only feasible means to deal with an actual or imminent armed attack and where the force used is necessary and proportionate."

The UK will notify the UN Security Council of its actions according to the UN Charter, the office added.

(With UNI/Sputnik inputs)