Somali pirates attempted ship seizure in Aden Gulf, not Yemen: US
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The US Pentagon says the attempted seizure of the Israeli Central Park tanker was "clearly a piracy-related incident."
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Defense Department Spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder holds a press conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, in September 2023 (AFP)
The Pentagon stated on Monday that the recent attempt to seize a ship in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday was not carried out by Yemen and seems to have been executed by armed Somali pirates.
Meanwhile, Pentagon Spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said it remains unclear who was the target of the two ballistic missiles allegedly fired from Sanaa-controlled areas toward the USS Mason and the ship.
Israeli media reported on Sunday that the Yemeni Armed Forces took over a commercial vessel, Central Park tanker, owned by Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer, off the coast of the Gulf of Aden. Furthermore, maritime security organization Ambrey said, "US naval forces are engaged in the situation," which was later also stated by AP, citing a US defense official.
Read more: 2-day truce extension reached; same terms as previous deal: Hamas
However, following the claims on Sunday, Arab sources confirmed to Al Mayadeen that these reports are "entirely questionable", stressing that they are either an Israeli fabrication or a ploy to force the deployment of foreign forces.
"We're continuing to assess, but initial indications are that these five individuals are Somali," said Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder.
"Clearly a piracy-related incident," he added.
Earlier today, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of Ansar Allah's Political Bureau, posted on X that the United States "invented a story of rescuing a commercial ship from militants in the Gulf of Aden."
The official stressed that the location, where the act was allegedly carried out, is not a suitable spot for a capture operation.
Al-Bukhaiti went on to debunk other details of the American narration of the events, in which the Pentagon claimed that two ballistic missiles were fired at the USS Mason, which responded to Central Park's distress call.
Read more: British ship ordered by Yemen to change course
The official exposed American lies, after the latter asserted that the two missiles fell 10 miles of their intended target, the USS Mason.
Al-Bukhaiti explained that Yemeni ballistic missiles intended to target moving naval targets are equipped with active guidance systems and are capable of altering their trajectories accordingly.
He also stressed that Yemen possesses precision-guided munition, saying it is impossible for such weapons to have a margin of error of 10 miles.
Operations publicly announced
The Yemeni Armed Forces have openly claimed responsibility for their consistent launch operations on Israeli military sites in occupied Palestine, utilizing ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and attack drones.
Additionally, Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree declared on November 19 that all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or ones bearing the Israeli flag, are now a target to the country's military in support of Gaza, calling on countries to withdraw their citizens operating on such ships.
Read more: Yemeni operations to continue until Palestine's victory: Al-Qahoum
On the same day, Yemen openly announced the capturing of one Israeli ship, the Galaxy Leader, and leading it toward the Hodeidah port.
Truce only concerns Gaza
Earlier, the Deputy Prime Minister for Defense and Security Affairs in the Sanaa Government in Yemen, Jalal al-Rowaishan, told Al Mayadeen that the temporary humanitarian truce, between the Palestinian Resistance and "Israel", will not affect the government's decision to close the Red Sea off for Israeli vessels.
"The truce concerns Gaza, and the military spokesman announced that our decision to close the Red Sea to the enemy still stands," al-Rowaishan affirmed.
He emphasized that the Yemeni position on the war on Gaza has been popularly and officially declared, adding that Yemen will no longer seek diplomatic means in relation to the Israeli occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip.
