Russia, China ships safe to sail Red Sea if not connected to 'Israel'
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Ansar Allah officials tell Russian news outlet Izvestia that Yemen is ready to ensure safe passage of all ships passing through the Red Sea, provided they are not headed to "Israel", as "free navigation plays a significant role for the country".
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Member of the Ansar Allah Movement's political bureau Mohammad al-Bukhaiti during an interview with Al Mayadeen in 2023 (Screengrab Al Mayadeen TV)
The Yemeni Armed Forces are committed to targeting all ships connected to the Israeli occupation, and all vessels excluded from this criteria are free to navigate through the Red Sea, a member of the Ansar Allah Movement's political bureau told Russian news outlet Izvestia.
Mohammad al-Bukhaiti reiterated Sanaa's position in response to the recent United States' propaganda regarding the safety of passage of ships, confirming that, "As for all other countries, including Russia and China, their shipping in the region is not threatened."
Countries that are participating in the aggression on Yemen, such as the US and the UK, they are legitimate targets, al-Bukhaiti clarified.
Read more: No violation against Yemen will go unanswered, Yemeni SPC says
'Goal is to raise economic costs for Israel'
Some shipping firms are avoiding the Bab al-Mandeb Strait due to the ongoing attacks on his country, the senior official said, stressing however that "we are ready to ensure the safe passage of their ships in the Red Sea, because free navigation plays a significant role for our country."
However, Yemen's operations targeting all vessels "in any way connected with Israel" will continue.
"Our goal is to raise the economic costs" for the occupation entity in order to "stop the carnage in Gaza," al-Bukhaiti explained.
The Yemeni Army captured last November the Israeli-owned Galaxy Leader ship in the Red Sea, and led it back to the country's Hodeidah port, where it remains docked today.
Commenting on the operation, he said that the operation was "a precautionary step for everyone else to follow our requirements".
"Ansar Allah does not pursue the goal of capturing or sinking this or that sea vessel," the Ansar Allah official said.
The vessel's crew, who are still being held, "are fine, and we are giving them a warm welcome".
US assets are legitimate targets
On Thursday, the Yemeni Armed Forces' (YAF) Navy targeted a US-owned chemical tanker, Chem Ranger, sailing through the Gulf of Aden, the spokesperson for the YAF, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, stated in a televised announcement.
This marks the second consecutive operation in the Gulf of Aden, in which Yemen's Naval forces carried out an accurate anti-ship missile attack on a US-owned vessel.
Saree reiterated that the YAF's response to the US-UK-led aggression on Yemen is "inevitable," adding that any violation of Yemen's sovereignty will not go unpunished.
The spokesperson said that the YAF's operations will persist until the war on Gaza is stopped and the siege on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is lifted.
