Sanaa to respond to states that open airspace against Yemen: Al-Houthi
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Yemen's Supreme Political Council member, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, says the maritime routes through the Red Sea are safe for any vessel except those belonging to "Israel" or heading for its ports.
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Yemen's Supreme Political Council member, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi speaks to Al Mayadeen on December 22, 2023. (Al Mayadeen)
Yemen's Supreme Political Council member, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, confirmed in a statement to Al Mayadeen that the goal of the maritime coalition was intended to protect "Israel" and not international navigation.
Al-Houthi stressed that the discourse and statements of the Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that international navigation is safe for everyone, except for Israeli ships or those bound to the ports of the Israeli occupation.
The official also indicated, in his statement, that the US supports the massacres in the Gaza Strip, demanding that those who feel insecure in the Red Sea and seek security must stop the Israeli massacres.
Regarding the repercussions of the declared maritime coalition, dubbed Operation Prosperity Guardian, al-Houthi confirmed that the US move is militarizing the Red Sea and impacting international shipping traffic. Al-Houthi also indicated that the Yemeni people cannot stand by idly if Yemen is exposed to US or even non-US aggressions, explaining that "all options are on the table to respond to any possible American aggression."
Through Al Mayadeen, al-Houthi advised both Saudi Arabia and the UAE "not to stand with the Israelis in the face of those who support the Palestinian people," considering that it is not right for Saudi Arabia to be neutral toward what is happening to the Palestinians.
Al-Houthi further declared that Yemen "would prefer if Saudi Arabia were not to take part in any alliance that supports Israel."
In the same context, the Yemeni official also indicated that the Israeli occupation posed a threat to the future of Saudi Arabia, and noted that Egypt protected the Suez Canal when it rejected the offer to join the US-led alliance in the Red Sea.
Moreover, al-Houthi warned that any country that opens its airspace to fighter jets that bomb Yemen will be dealt with, adding that the Yemeni Armed Forces are "working to overcome the practical field challenges facing the missiles that we use to target the occupying entity."
Al-Houthi, through Al Mayadeen, called on every Muslim "whose heart is strained by what is happening in Palestine" to withdraw their financial assets from the banks of countries that support "Israel".
Everyone must raise their voice to stop the aggression
On his part, Yemeni Ansar Allah spokesperson Mohammad Abdel Salam reaffirmed that "normal people" living "human values" would "strongly reject the continued massacre of the Zionist enemy entity against the people of Gaza."
Abdel Salam considered that "Israel's" massacres were supposed to cause world concern, stating that Yemen's naval operations were only a source of concern to the Zionist entity for pushing it to halt its aggression and lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip.
The spokesperson warned the whole world against Israeli attempts to implicate them in expanding the confrontation to new fronts. Particularly, Abdel Salam noted that the Arab and Islamic states in the region must do all that is possible to support the Gaza Strip and not "grant" the prime minister of the Israeli occupation, Benjamin Netanyahu, "a lifeline from his predicament."
الشعوب السوية التي تعيش القيم الإنسانية ترفض بشدة استمرار كيان العدو الصهيوني في مجازره بحق أهل غزة وهذا ما يفترض أن يثير قلق العالم، أما عمليات اليمن البحرية فليست مصدر قلق لأحد سوى للكيان الصهيوني لدفعه نحو وقف عدوانه ورفع حصاره عن غزة، وكل العالم يجب أن يقف هذا الموقف وألا…
— محمد عبدالسلام (@abdusalamsalah) December 21, 2023
He also called on the world to "raise its voice in support of an immediate cessation of aggression and lift the siege on Gaza", commending Malaysia's position not to welcome Israeli vessels.
Yemen's Ministry of Transport in Sanaa issued a statement confirming that navigation in the Red and Arab Seas was "safe for all vessels other than those of the Zionist enemy or destined for its ports".
In its statement, the Ministry stated that vessels destined for "Israel" were subject to prevention and targeting from the Yemeni Armed Forces. The statement reassured all shipping companies, global shipping lines, and relevant organizations, including the International Maritime Organization and the International Transport Workers' Federation, that this will continue until the blockade on the Gaza Strip was lifted.
Read more: Ships captured in Yemen to only leave on Palestine's terms: Exclusive
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
