“A ground war is what the people of Yemen wish for because they can finally fight those responsible for their suffering over nine years. If the US sends troops to Yemen, it will encounter a situation more difficult than in Afghanistan and Vietnam. We are ready for various options of strategically defeating the Americans in the region,” Mohammad Ali al-Houthi said, according to Russian TASS news agency.
The Yemeni official added that there is no direct communication with the Americans although the US side attempted to interact, explaining that all interaction is being handled by a team of mediators in Oman.
Al-Houthi gave assurances that the Ansarullah movement does not intend to block the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait. “Vessels unrelated to Israel won’t be harmed,” he noted. He also cautioned Italy that it may become a target if it participates in aggression against Yemen. “We advise Italy to stay neutral; this is the least it can do,” he added.
Yemen’s Armed Forces have been staging many strikes against Israeli vessels or those bound for the occupied Palestinian territories’ ports.
The operations have been described as a response to an October 7, 2023-present war and siege that the Israeli regime has been waging against Gaza following an operation carried out by the Palestinian territory’s Resistance movements.
More than 27,365 Palestinians, some 70 percent of whom are women, children, and adolescents, have been killed in the brutal onslaught so far.
The United States has been providing Israel with unbridled military and political support in its onslaught against Gaza, arming Tel Aviv with more than 10,000 tons of military hardware. The US has also torpedoed the prospect of cessation of the Israeli aggression by stonewalling ratification of all United Nations Security Council resolutions that have been calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Israeli aggression.
The Yemeni forces have vowed to keep up their operations as long as the Israeli regime presses on with the military campaign.
SD/PR
