Italy appoints ambassador to Yemen

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Italy said Tuesday it has appointed an ambassador to Yemen "as a sign of support for its legitimate authorities."

"To support the legitimate government in Yemen, in the last Cabinet meeting we decided to appoint an Italian ambassador to give a sign of closeness to the legitimate authorities of the country who are allies of the Gulf countries, while as you know the war between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia has lasted a long time," Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told reporters, according to the ANSA news agency. "When Iran realizes that it will not be convenient to continue attacking, then the Houthis will also stop."

In solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been facing a genocidal war by Israel since October 2023, the Houthis have targeted Israeli sites, cargo ships or those associated with Tel Aviv, with missiles and drones, expressing a determination to continue operations until the end of the onslaught against the enclave.

A coalition led by the US has been conducting airstrikes since the beginning of 2024 that it said is targeting Houthi locations in parts of Yemen in response to attacks by the group on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Counterattacks have been occasionally met with retaliation from the group.