Sayyed al-Houthi: US starving Gaza, turned Red Sea into battlefield

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
25 Jan 2024 17:59
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The leader of the Ansar Allah movement highlights the US' direct role in war crimes against Palestinians in his latest address.

Leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses the Yemeni people and the Ummah, on January 25, 2024. (Yemeni Armed Forces/Military media)

The leader of the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, Sayyed Abul-Malik al-Houthi, lambasted the United States for its role in supplementing and supporting the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, during his weekly address to the Yemeni people and the Ummah at large on Thursday.

Sayyed al-Houthi underlined the essential role that Washington plays in extending the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, holding the US administration accountable for piled-up humanitarian aid outside the Gaza Strip and the closure of the Rafah border crossing.

Moreover, the leader pointed to the ongoing US-UK-led aggression on Yemen, which the two Western nations claim aims to secure international maritime trade routes. Contrary to US-UK claims, Sayyed al-Houthi said that Washington "does not care about the threat to international navigation and the fact that it has turned the Red Sea into a battlefield, nor about the arrival of food and medicine to the people of Gaza."

He added, "[The US] has no problem with expanding the conflict [and increasing tensions in the region]."

The US insists on sieging Gaza

In fact, the Resistance leader said the US "insists on keeping Gaza under total siege and keeping the Rafah crossing closed most of the time," adding that Washington "insists that there be no flow of [humanitarian aid] to the Palestinian people in Gaza."

It is worth noting that Sayyed al-Houthi's statements coincide with a months-long effective Naval campaign launched by the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), aiming at pressuring the Israeli occupation to lift its siege on the Gaza Strip and allow humanitarian aid in. The Biden administration in Washington has opted to support the Israeli occupation's genocidal war on Palestinians and launched at least eight strikes on Yemen.

In this context, Sayyed al-Houthi said, "While the Americans fight for the supplies to reach the Israelis, they prevent food and medicine from reaching Gaza," pointing out that "[Washignton] is the one behind the continuation of Zionist crimes and behind [the incompetence of international organizations]."

The US "contributes directly to starving the Palestinian people, causing them to die of hunger, not only with the bombs [it provides the Israeli occupation forces with] to kill them."

Yemen's battle is intrinsically tied to Gaza

The leader of the Ansar Allah movement said the Yemeni Armed Forces launched more than 200 attack drones and fifty cruise and ballistic missiles in support of the Palestinian people.

He stressed that Yemen would continue to launch operations in support of the Palestinian people "until food and medicine reach all residents of Gaza and the Zionist crimes" in the Gaza Strip stop.

Sayyed al-Houthi stressed that the US' military aggression and its insistence to reject a humanitarian deal "will not affect our position," stressing that the Yemeni people "will never retreat."

"Our battle is ongoing and is entirely linked to the Gaza battle."

Yemen's operations: No threat to international navigation

He also indicated that the US is attempting to "justify its aggression against our country and its protection of Zionist crimes," under the pretext of protecting international navigation.

In response to these claims, Sayyed al-Houthi said that since the beginning of the Yemeni Naval campaign, "4,874 commercial ships have crossed," through the Red Sea, untouched, adding that the US-UK-led escalation "is [the real] threat to international navigation" and has violated "the sovereignty of countries" in the region.

He went on to advise Europeans against allowing the US to exploit their govenrments' funds for such purposes.

He explained that "no matter how much the Americans and the British escalate," the results of this escalation will "be counterproductive and will not affect our decision and position, but we will continue to develop our military capabilities."

"Whenever the Israelis and the Americans insist on [committing war crimes in Gaza], we must be more resolved and determined to prevent it."

A historic battle

The leader of the Ansar Allah movement highlighted that in the history of the Arab struggle against the Israeli occupation, there has never been an aggression similar to that on Gaza today, both in terms of the war's period and the level of criminality committed.

On that note, Sayyed al-Houthi pointed out that the number of casualties in Gaza is now calculated as a percentage of its population. "This is unparalleled today in all conflicts around the world," he stressed.

In fact, more than 1 in 100 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed by the Israeli occupation since October 7, while more than 1 in 20 Gazans have either been killed, injured, or gone missing in the same period.

Despite the unprecedented level of Israeli brutality, the situation today has differed, he added. "Thanks to the resilience and steadfastness of the Resistance and the people of Gaza," the equation has changed. The leader added that suffering is mutual and is not limited to Palestinians as in previous periods in the fight against the occupation.

"Despite the scale of the Zionist aggression, crime, tyranny, and incursion, the enemy has failed to achieve its declared goals," Sayyed al-Houthi emphasized.

Leader of the Ansar Allah, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi: "Despite the scale of the Zionist aggression, criminality, tyranny, and incursion, the enemy has failed to achieve its stated objectives." https://t.co/dTcusFcC1A
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 25, 2024

A shared global responsibility to support Gaza

Elsewhere in his address, Ansar Allah's leader reiterated that Muslims bear a great responsibility to "support the resilience of the Palestinian people in the face of extremely difficult conditions, severe suffering, and great oppression."

He underlined that "if Muslims provide the necessary support to the Palestinian people and its Resistance fighters, the equation will change completely," pointing out that "the criminal path of the Israeli enemy continues every day, expressing an aggressive tendency, hatred, brutality, and moral bankruptcy."

"Whenever the enemy fails to achieve its declared goals, it resorts to committing horrendous crimes," he added, asking, "All international institutions are witnessing what is happening in Palestine, in Gaza, but where is the practical stance?"

"The statements issued by international institutions do not match up to the real situation Gaza is facing," he added.

Leader of the Ansar Allah, Sayyed Abdulmalik al-Houthi: "The statements issued by international institutions can never truly capture the reality of what is happening in #Gaza." https://t.co/pKATrCR9yF
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 25, 2024

Regarding the international public stance on the Israeli war, he emphasized the need for the demonstrations in Western countries to continue, namely in Europe and the United States.

However, he said that "there must be broader and escalating actions to pressure the heinous and brutal crime against the Palestinian people to stop."

"Mass popular movement has great importance in demanding an end to the aggression on Gaza and ending the crime against the Palestinian people," Sayyed al-Houthi said, noting that "people suffering severe oppression from their regimes can boycott American and Israeli goods."

Reaffirming Yemen's unwavering position to support Gaza, respond to Israeli crimes, and face the occupation's supporters no matter the challenges, he stressed that Gaza will not be left to its fate.

"Our people will not leave Gaza alone, and Yemenis will not stay at home ignoring what is happening, but the popular mobilization will continue," he declared, calling for "massive demonstrations on Friday in the capital Sanaa and across other provinces."