UK Navy says vessel attacked near Yemen after US, UK airstrikes
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The United Kingdom's navy says a British vessel was attacked in Mocha, Yemen, as Sanaa pledges that it will continue targeting any ships bound for the Israeli occupation.
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Yemenis rally against the US-led strikes against Yemen and in the support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, February 16, 2024 (AP)
The US-British aggression launched airstrikes on Yemen's al-Taif and al-Druayhimi districts south of Hodeidah, an Al Mayadeen correspondent reported on Friday.
These airstrikes bring the total number of aerial attacks on Yemen to eight since Friday noon.
The bombardment targeted two districts, al-Luhayyah and al-Zuhrah, on the northern outskirts of Hodeidah. Another four airstrikes targeted the al-Jabana area north of the city and another two targeted the areas of al-Jah and al-Taif in the al-Durayhimi district to the south of the coastal province overlooking the Red Sea.
The Yemeni SABA news agency announced that the President of the Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, will approve Saturday a draft law regarding countries and entities hostile to the Republic of Yemen.
"President al-Mashat will also issue a presidential decree to establish the Humanitarian Operations Center, which will contribute to alleviating the humanitarian impacts and repercussions on civilians and civilian entities," the Yemeni news agency said.
British vessel under attack
In a recent incident reported by the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a vessel came under a missile attack approximately 70 nautical miles northwest of the Yemeni port of Mocha, also known as al-Mukha.
The crew on board is reported to be safe, according to a statement released by the UKMTO on Friday.
The UKMTO statement read, "UKMTO has received a report of an incident in the vicinity of 70NM northwest of al-Mukha, Yemen. The Master reports the vessel was attacked by a missile and reports an explosion in close proximity."
Authorities have confirmed that both the naval crew and the vessel are secure.. In light of the incident, vessels in the region are advised to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.
Yemeni Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced in a brief statement on Thursday that the British ship “LYCAVITOS” was targeted while sailing in the Gulf of Aden and directly hit by appropriate naval missiles.
He also stressed that the Yemeni armed forces would continue to stop all Israeli sea navigation or any other heading to the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red and Arab Seas until the Israeli aggression and siege on Gaza halt.
Yemen stands with Palestine, defends itself
Saree revealed that the Yemeni armed forces are working on taking further measures, within Yemen's legitimate right of defense, in response to the repeated American-British aggression against it. He stressed that these operations are also part of the firm stance in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
He added that the Yemeni armed forces call on all free and honorable members of their Arab and Islamic nations to take serious and practical measures in support of their brothers and sisters in the Gaza Strip while condemning the Israeli crimes supported by the United States and Britain.
Yemen has repeatedly emphasized that its actions are in support of the Palestinian people and would stop as soon as the aggression on Gaza is brought to an end.
Yemeni leader Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi accused the United States of being the chief party to blame for the genocide in Gaza.
The United States supplies the occupation entity with more than 25,000 tons of weapons to be used in killing the residents of Gaza, he stressed.
Washington "participates [in the genocide] by supplying military experts and participating in the Israeli war council," Sayyed al-Houthi said, recalling that the occupation has carried out more than 46,000 airstrikes on the limited area of Gaza.
He further underlined that the quantity of explosives used by the Israeli occupation to bombard the Gaza Strip is equivalent to four times the payload of the atomic bomb dropped by the US on Hiroshima.
ayyed Al-Houthi lamented the extent of the destruction inflicted on the Gaza Strip as a result of the aggression, stating that "the occupation completely destroyed 79,200 residential units and partially destroyed 290,000 residential units. Additionally, 30 hospitals were completely taken out of service."
The amount of rubble left behind by the Israeli bombardment of Gaza might take around three years to be cleared off, he said, adding that this was done to make Gaza uninhabitable. "The occupation admitted that it launched more than 90,000 missiles and artillery shells at Gaza in just 50 days."
