Houthis says U.S. targeting Yemen not acceptable

The United States' attack on the Yemeni territory is not acceptable, warning the power country against any future attack, a military spokesman of the Yemeni dominant Shiite Houthi group said Thursday in a statement carried by Houthi-run Saba news agency.

The pentagon said it carried out three strikes with cruise missiles targeting three radar sites on the Yemeni Red Sea coast under control of Houthi rebels.

"We reiterated our denial of targeting any U.S. warship in the Red Sea, confirming our complete control of our fighters, naval defense weapons and all territories, except the territories under control of al-Qaida or Saudi-led military coalition," said Brigadier General Sharaf Luqman, the spokesman for Yemeni forces fighting alongside the Houthis.

"The direct American attack against the Yemeni soil this morning is not acceptable, and we will respond with any future development in the appropriate time and with the appropriate manner," Luqman warned.

Luqman said his country is keen on the security of international navigation, warning the United States and the Saudi-led coalition of any further escalation that could turn the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait into an all-out war zone.

"We have the right to defend our country against terrorist groups and the aggression by Saudi Arabia and its allies in the military coalition," Luqman said.

The Houthi response came hours after the United States said it launched three cruise strikes this morning against Houthi radar sites on three Yemeni Red Sea coast cities of Ras Issa, Mucka and Khokha.

Houthis backed by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh seized control of much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, in September 2014, forcing Saudi-backed government of president Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee into exile.

Saudi Arabia responded militarily with its military coalition in March 2015, launching large-scale airstrikes to roll back Houthi gains and restore its ally Yemeni president Hadi to power. The Saudi attempts have yet to achieve the goal.

The air campaign and ground battles have since killed over 10,000 Yemenis, mostly women and children, displacing around 3 million others. Enditem