US threats via Omani backchannels will not deter Yemen: al-Houthi
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In a post on X, the Ansar Allah official reiterated the Yemeni people's steadfast position in support of the Palestinian people.
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Member of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen Mohammed Ali al-Houthi speaks to a reporter during an interview with Associated Press in Sanaa, Yemen, March 19, 2019 (AP)
Member of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, said that the United States had threatened to mobilize "fronts" against Yemen via Omani backchannels.
In a post on X, Al-Houthi said that expanding the scope of engagement in the region is one among many other threats made by the US against the Yemeni people via Omani officials.
The official said that any American "endeavors or folly" will end in failure, adding that the Yemeni people who took the morally and ideologically-driven decision of supporting the Palestinian people, "will not be deterred" from "their mission [of supporting] Gaza."
In this context, the Minister of Defense in the Sanaa government, Major General Mohammed Nasser al-Atifi, warned the United States and Britain on Tuesday against attempting to militarize the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
He reiterated that navigation in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea is "secured and stable" for all destinations around the world, except for those ships heading to Israeli-occupied ports in Palestine and Israeli-owned, US-owned, and UK-owned ships.
He confirmed that the Yemeni people "will not be intimidated by internationally prohibited American missiles and bombs," and fleets, aircraft carriers, and destroyers will not deter them from fulfilling their duties towards Palestine, especially in the face of the ongoing aggression.
Yemeni missiles can reach US fleet in 75 seconds
Earlier, the Commander of the US Fifth Fleet, Charles Bradford Cooper, highlighted, on Monday, that once Ansar Allah's missiles and drones are launched, they could reach their target in the Red Sea within 75 seconds. In response, US forces have only a brief window of 9 to 15 seconds to decide and take action to intercept and shoot down a missile or drone launched by Ansar Allah, as per Cooper.
Cooper affirmed, during an interview for the US CBS, that there has never been an instance of targeting commercial ships or US Navy vessels with ballistic missiles before, in reference to one of the operations by the Yemeni Armed Forces whereby they targeted a US warship with a number of ballistic missiles.
It is worth noting that the US Fifth Fleet, is part of the US Navy fleets stationed in the waters surrounding Bahrain.
This comes shortly after the spokesperson of the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced that Yemen targeted US Navy warship Lewis B Puller sailing through the Gulf of Aden.
Saree specified that the warship was involved in providing logistical support for the US forces waging aggression against Yemen, among other missions.
"The operation is part of the military measures taken by the Yemeni Armed Forces in defense of the Yemeni people and as part of the commitment to support the oppressed Palestinian people," Saree added.
Concluding his statement, Saree reaffirmed the YAF's commitment to enforce a blockade on Israeli navigation in the Red Sea until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza and the siege enforced on the people of Gaza is lifted.
Read more: Much of Yemeni offensive capability is intact after US-led strike: NYT
