A top-ranking Yemeni official has warned the European Union against “playing with fire” after the 27-member bloc launched a naval military mission in the Red Sea.
Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, who is a member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, made the remarks on Tuesday after an attack by Yemeni armed forces sank the UK-registered Rubymar cargo in the Gulf of Aden.
“To the Europeans: do not play with fire and learn a lesson from Britain. You need not support the American devil in protecting the Israeli regime so that it can exterminate the people of Gaza with no disturbance,” he said in an X post.
It followed an announcement of the official launch of the EU naval operation called Aspides (“shield” in ancient Greek) amid Yemen’s maritime campaign in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza strip.
With a mandate set initially for one year, the mission will send European warships and airborne early warning systems to the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters.
Houthi said that the EU mission will increase the militarization of the Red Sea, endanger international navigation, and affect the shipping of food to European countries.
Israel waged a US-backed genocidal war on besieged Gaza in October following a historic operation by the Palestinian Hamas resistance group against the occupying regime.
In support of Gaza, Yemeni armed forces have targeted ships going to and from ports in the occupied territories, or whose owners are linked to Israel, in the southern Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Gulf of Aden, and even in the Arabian Sea.
In response to the pro-Palestine maritime campaign, the US and its allies have bombed Yemen in violation of the country’s sovereignty and international law.
The illegal attacks prompted Yemen to declare American and British vessels to be legitimate targets for its military.
‘US, allies give Israel opportunity to continue Gaza crimes’
In an X post on Monday, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, spokesman for Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement, said that the continuation of the US-led strikes on Yemen gives Israel a chance to continue its brutal attacks against the people of Gaza.
“The Americans and the British should know that Yemen’s position will not change or break, but the country will become stronger and it remains committed to its stance,” he added.
He also noted that Yemen’s pro-Palestine maritime campaign will continue as long as Israel presses ahead with the Gaza war and refuses to lift the blockade on the Palestinian territory.
