UPDATE - US, UK using disproportionate force in Yemen, says Turkish President Erdogan

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH PRESIDENT

By Muhammed Enes Calli

ISTANBUL (AA) – The US and UK have used disproportionate force in Yemen, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday.

Speaking to reporters after performing Friday prayers in Istanbul, Erdogan addressed the attacks on Yemen by the US and UK, as he said "all of these actions involve the use of disproportionate force. Israel is also using disproportionate force in Palestine."

"We receive information from various sources that the Houthis have made very successful defenses, provided successful responses against both the US and the UK," he said.

"Of course, at the moment, they are now eager to turn the Red Sea into a lake of blood," he said.

The US and UK carried out strikes on multiple targets inside Yemen late Thursday in response to ongoing drone and missile strikes by the Houthis, which is backed by Iran, on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The attacks by the Yemeni group began in November in response to Israel's war on Gaza.

On South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, Erdogan said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has nowhere to hide and that there is no defense for his actions.

"I would have seen (Israel's) President (Isaac) Herzog in a much more sincere atmosphere at this point, but lately, he has also imitated Netanyahu, starting to make very different statements," he added.

He also said Israel is presenting its arguments in the top UN court adding: "But the documents we have presented are useful for The Hague."

"With these documents, Israel will be held accountable there. We are waiting for this because we also believe in the justice of the International Court of Justice in The Hague."

Amid ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, Türkiye "is also taking as many as we can from children, women, and the elderly, and having them treated in our hospitals."

The first day of the trial concluded on Thursday after the Ambassador of South Africa to Amsterdam, Vusimuzi Madonsela, read the nine interim measures his country requested from the Court against Israel.

On the first day of the trial, the South African side presented their allegations against Israel to the ICJ along with the supporting reasons and evidence.

Legal representatives for South Africa in the trial accused Israel of "deliberate actions against Gazans, proving genocidal intent."