CHINA and Russia slammed the United States and Britain for illegally attacking military sites used by Yemen’s Houthi-led government to launch missiles at commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

But during exchanges at the United Nations security council, deputy ambassador Robert Wood and British ambassador Barbara Woodward hit back, saying the attacks being carried out by the Yemenis are illegal.

Since November, the Yemenis have targeted ships in the Red Sea to demand a ceasefire in Israel's offensive in Gaza.

In recent weeks, the US and Britain have launched air strikes targeting Houthi missile arsenals and launch sites for its attacks.

Ms Woodward said the “proportionate and legal action” by the Nato allies are being taken in self-defence.

UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said that promising efforts to restore peace to Yemen have been slowed by rising regional tensions linked to the war in Gaza, “in particular the military escalation in the Red Sea.”

China’s permanent representative to the UN, Zhang Jun, voiced concern over the recent tensions, calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities by Houthi forces against commercial shipping and reminded the council that the use of force against Yemen had not been sanctioned.

Mr Zhang added that China hopes “all parties in Yemen will prioritise the interests of the people, show determination, eliminate interference, and firmly advance the political process to achieve final results.”

Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky said the root cause of the current situation is Israel’s military offensive in Gaza following Hamas’s surprise attack in southern Israel on October 7, which has provoked a chain reaction in the Middle East, including by the Yemenis.

He said: “An immediate ceasefire in Gaza will help to stabilise the situation in the Red Sea, and the de-escalation in those waters will in turn unblock the efforts of the special envoy, Mr Grundberg.”