'Attacks on ships in Red Sea must stop': White House

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Dec 2023 19:59

White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby says discussions for a new ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli captives are "highly significant".

US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, on November 30, 2023. (AFP)

White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said, on Tuesday, that attacks by Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea must stop, vowing to "continue safeguarding ships from such targeting."

"Attacks on ships in the Red Sea have to stop," Kirby said during a press briefing.

Kirby was asked whether Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have indicated their readiness to join the US-led multinational effort if Washington supports a ceasefire in Gaza.

"I’m not going to go through diplomatic conversations and details one way or another," Kirby said. "Both countries are significant partners with the United States on a range of issues across the region. Again, they should speak to their level of participation,” he added.

"I would let every nation who is a member, whether they wanted to acknowledge or not, speak for themselves," Kirby said.

"It's a coalition of the willing and each nation has to decide for itself whether it's going to participate and under what circumstances. We respect that. The whole idea here is protecting sovereign assets and sovereign rights and that's what we're doing," he further claimed.

In a different context, the White House stated that discussions for a new ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli captives are "highly significant".

"These are very serious discussions and negotiations and we hope that they lead somewhere," John Kirby added.

If US attacks Yemen, its battleships will be struck: Sayyed al-Houthi

Earlier today, the leader of the Ansar Allah movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, warned the United States of America against attacking Yemen, stressing that American battleships and vessels would become a target for Yemeni missiles in the event of any attack.

In a speech he delivered today, Wednesday, the Yemeni Resistance leader Sayyed al-Houthi said, "If the United States is considering targeting Yemen, we will not stand idly by," adding that engaging in a direct war with the US and “Israel", instead of US' proxies, is what they aspire for the most.

Ansar Allah's leader called on the Arab countries not to get involved with the United States.

In this context, he stressed that “if America wants to fight Yemen’s stance in support of Palestine, then it would have to confront the entire Yemeni people,” adding that “if that is what America wants, then it will face a harsher situation than that it faced in Afghanistan and Vietnam.”

Sayyed al-Houthi warned Washington against launching any strikes because that would render it completely involved, stressing that Yemen has developed its capabilities on many levels.