The cowardly act of aggression committed by the United States on a group of the Yemeni Naval Forces, which left dozens of people martyred and missing, will not go unanswered or unpunished, Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said Thursday.

Sayyed al-Houthi pointed out that "the American-Zionist administration participates with broad armed, political, and media support" in the killing of the Palestinian people, and threatening Islamic countries in the Arab region and elsewhere, against showcasing any form of support for the Palestinian people or cooperation with them.

He also noted that the Yemeni people stood fully with the Palestinian people, to the extent that "the Yemeni front became an effective and influential front" against the Israelis.

He underlined that the Yemeni armed forces were targeting the Israeli occupation with missiles and drones, preventing Israeli and Israeli-bound ships from crossing the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab el-Mandab Strait.

The Ansar Allah leader called on the Yemeni people to participate in the massive popular demonstrations slated for Friday, underlining that this was of utmost importance as it would "show and make the world hear its unwavering stance in support of the Palestinian people, declaring that we will not reverse on our faith-based position and do not yield to the arrogant."

Martyred Yemeni soldiers

The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on Sunday the martyrdom of a number of its naval forces, who were killed by US forces while carrying out "their duty" in preventing Israeli and "Israel"-bound ships from crossing the Red Sea.

Along with the same statement, spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree also announced that the army's navy units successfully struck with three naval missiles Maersk Hangzhou, which was heading toward the occupation entity.

In the details of the US attack, Saree said: "While the Yemeni armed forces' naval units were carrying out their routine official duties in securing stability, protecting maritime navigation, and fulfilling their humanitarian and moral responsibilities, including Yemen's declaration to prevent Israeli ships or those headed to the occupied Palestinian ports from passing through the Red Sea, American enemy forces attacked three boats belonging to the Yemeni navy. This resulted in the martyrdom and loss of ten navy personnel."

The spokesperson confirmed that the United States "bears the consequences and repercussions of this crime," stressing that the US' military "maneuvers in the Red Sea to protect Israeli vessels will not deter Yemen from fulfilling its religious, moral, and humanitarian duty to support and champion the oppressed in Palestine and Gaza."

Enforced equations

Sanaa declared last month that it will commence operations against Israeli and Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red Sea in support of the people in Gaza until the war on the Strip stops.

The enforced decision compelled many major shipping companies to adopt significantly lengthier sailing routes, leading to increased costs, insurance premiums, and the delivery time of cargo heading to the occupation entity.

The matter got worse for "Israel" after the Yemeni Armed Forces announced a new equation earlier this week following a US veto on a ceasefire in Gaza at the UNSC meeting, which added that ships heading to "Israel", regardless of their nationality, to the ban, and expanded the scope to include the Arabian Sea alongside the Red Sea.