US warns Yemeni Armed Forces to stop operations in Red Sea
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The US reiterated warnings to the Yemeni Armed Forces to stop operations against Israeli vessels in the Red Sea, but the forces have shown fearlessness and determination to continue.
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This photo released by the Yemeni Media Center shows an Ansar Allah helicopter approaching the cargo ship Galaxy Leader on Sunday, November 19, 2023. (AP)
Two US officials recently stated that the Biden administration has conveyed messages to the Yemeni Armed Forces in Yemen through various channels, cautioning them to cease their operations on ships in the Red Sea and against "Israel."
The operations in Yemen have posed a threat to Israeli and Israeli-affiliated ships sailing one of the key commercial shipping routes in the region, in solidarity with Palestine.
The Yemeni Armed Forces, in response to the Israeli aggression on Gaza, have successfully launched over 70 drones and ballistic missiles towards "Israel." The IOF conveyed this information in a statement, highlighting that the targeted distance exceeds 1,600 km from Yemen.
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On that note, some missiles and drones were intercepted by Israeli security systems and US, French, and Saudi air defense systems.
Over the past few weeks, the Yemeni Armed Forces intensified their operations, focusing on commercial vessels near the Bab el-Mandab strait in the Red Sea on ships that either belong to Israeli companies or were en route to "Israel."
Behind closed doors, Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen, made diplomatic appeals during his recent visits to the Gulf, urging counterparts in Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar to communicate cautionary messages to the Yemeni Armed Forces, according to officials.
Ships to circle Africa to avoid Yemeni Armed Forces
Lenderking emphasized the significant apprehension of the United States regarding activities compelling ships to opt for alternative routes amid the persistent threats. Nevertheless, US officials acknowledge that these alerts have not prompted the Yemeni Armed Forces to reduce their operations.
Moreover, as a result of the operations, the arrival of commercial ships to the port of Eilat in southern "Israel" has almost completely stopped.
Vessels traveling from Asia to "Israel" currently follow a route that circumnavigates Africa, extending the voyage by three weeks and increasing costs.
Over the past two weeks, ships headed to other ports outside "Israel" also started using the longer route to reach Europe in order not to be targeted.
US multinational task force to the Red Sea
On Friday, the United States is anticipated to declare the deployment of an enhanced multinational task force in the Red Sea, specifically designed to discourage the Yemeni Armed Forces from conducting additional operations and to counter their activities, according to statements from two officials—one Israeli and one from the United States.
The White House National Security Council's coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, said over the last week that the State Department and the Pentagon have been working on getting countries to contribute navy ships for the task force that will operate under the US central command's naval forces.
According to a senior Israeli official, the upcoming task force in the Red Sea is not intended for escorting ships but aims to enhance the region's naval presence.
Furthermore, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan emphasized during his meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu and the members of the war cabinet on Thursday that the United States is dedicated to "safeguarding freedom of navigation" in the Red Sea, as stated by US officials.
This comes after Ansar Allah Political Bureau member Abdul-Malik al-Ajri said there is no way to restore calm in the Red Sea without a ceasefire in Gaza, adding that "There is no way of preventing the escalation except by moving towards a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip."
He also stressed that even if all the naval fleets on Earth gathered in the Red Sea, they "would not bring security to Israel or Israeli ships, not to any ships heading to [Israel]."
