YAF fully prepared to resume naval operations against 'Israel': Sanaa

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
8 Mar 2025 21:51

The Cabinet of Yemen’s Sanaa-based government holds "Israel" fully responsible for the resumption of naval operations and all other consequences arising from the ongoing blockade on Gaza.

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Yemenis raise weapons as they shout slogans during a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 (AP)

The Cabinet of Yemen’s Sanaa-based government welcomed on Saturday the "historic and responsible announcement" by the leader of the Ansar Allah movement, in which he granted a four-day deadline for mediators to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi gave mediators a four-day ultimatum to ensure the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, warning that if the Israeli occupation continued to block aid deliveries, naval operations against Israeli-linked vessels would resume.

In a statement, the Cabinet affirmed the Yemeni Armed Forces' full preparedness "to resume naval operations against the Israeli enemy as a religious and moral duty."

It praised "the wise and courageous humanitarian stance of Sayyed al-Houthi in supporting the brethren in Gaza since the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood."

It further emphasized that Sayyed al-Houthi's announcement "aligns with Yemen’s principled and fraternal position—at the leadership, government, and popular levels—in supporting the oppressed in Gaza, who have faced and continue to face abandonment by Arab regimes, particularly those that have normalized ties, and their collusion with the enemy’s criminal schemes aimed at eliminating the Palestinian cause."

The Cabinet also held "Israel" fully responsible for the resumption of naval operations and all other consequences arising from the ongoing blockade on Gaza and the failure to allow humanitarian aid to reach its people.

Additionally, it called on "Arab and Islamic nations to fulfill their religious, humanitarian, and moral duty in supporting their oppressed brethren in Gaza and extending aid to them through all possible means."

On Sunday, "Israel" announced it would halt aid deliveries to Gaza unless the Palestinian Resistance agreed to its conditions for extending the ceasefire, which had largely brought more than 15 months of war on the Strip to a standstill.

The first phase of the truce, which concluded on March 1, had facilitated the entry of essential food, shelter, and medical supplies.

During this phase, the Resistance released 25 living captives and the bodies of eight others in exchange for approximately 1,800 Palestinian detainees and prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons.

Of the 251 individuals taken captive on October 7, 2023, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 whom the Israeli military has confirmed as dead.

While "Israel" wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on moving to the second phase, which is aimed at achieving a permanent end to the war.