The Yemeni defense minister says the country’s military will continue their maritime operations against Israeli-linked vessels as well as US and British interests in the Red Sea area, stressing that the Sana’a government is going to establish new rules of engagement against Washington and London.
“We are determined to utilize our military might and impose new rules of engagement, which Americans, Britons, Zionists and their vassals will have to pay a heavy price for,” Major General Mohammed al-Atifi said on Sunday.
He noted that Yemenis are not belligerent and aggressive, but the barbaric Israeli crimes in Gaza prompted freedom-loving nations of the world, including, Yemenis, to declare their position against such atrocities.
“Yemen’s involvement in operations against the usurping Zionist regime and its naval blockade are all a sovereign, national, Islamic and humanitarian decision,” Atifi noted.
The Yemeni defense minister emphasized that the country’s army will continue strikes against Israeli-affiliated merchant vessels, and will prevent ships from passing through the Red Sea and sailing towards ports in the Israeli-occupied territories.
“Yemeni Armed Forces will not stop their operations against US and British military and commercial vessels,” Atifi pointed out.
Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s Palestinian resistance movements carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have said they won’t stop retaliatory strikes.
The maritime attacks have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.
Tankers are instead adding thousands of miles to international shipping routes by sailing around the continent of Africa rather than going through the Suez Canal.
