Israeli media reported, on Thursday, that Yemen "is not deterred by the international naval coalition [Operation Prosperity Guardian] formed under the leadership of the Americans," as it has now hinted at attacking ships associated with the coalition.

The Israeli media pointed out that the leader of Ansar Allah, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, threatened any country operating against Yemen, including those taking part in Operation Prosperity Guardian, that its ships would be a legitimate target for the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea.

The Israeli Channel 12 reported that Yemen is "ready to go to war and is not affected by the threat of the international coalition." This position was made clear, said Channel 12, in Sayyed al-Houthi's latest speech where he threatened to strike American ships if they targeted Yemen before he stressed that Yemen would come out victorious from any such war.

In this context, Israeli Arab affairs analyst Ehud Yaari pointed out that "Yemen possesses missiles that, in theory, have the ability to hit American ships if their launch is accurate."

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In the same context, the former commander of the navy in the Israeli occupation army, Eliezer Marom, said the majority of ships halted their passage through Bab al-Mandab amid the continued operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces against Israeli ships and “Israel”-bound ships.

Marom expressed skepticism about the ability of the US-led anti-Yemen naval coalition in the Red Sea to halt these operations in light of the seriousness of the Yemeni stance.

A Reuters report quoted Israeli officials as saying that the alternative route takes shipping around the southern tip of Africa, extending voyages to the Mediterranean by two to three weeks, which will add extra costs down the line.

In this context, CEO Gideon Golber told Reuters that without Bab al-Mandab, "you close the main shipping artery to Eilat Port. And therefore we lost 85% of total activity.”

“We still have a small number of ships for exporting potash, but I believe that with a destination in the Far East they will no longer travel in that direction. So that will also go down," Golber said.

"Unfortunately, if it continues, we will reach a situation of zero ships in Eilat Port."

The port director admitted in the same report - in reference to the economic loss incurred by the occupation as a result of the Yemeni operations - that the port of “Eilat” has witnessed a decline in its activity by 85% since the beginning of the Yemeni military operations in the Red Sea.

​"If God forbid, the coalition countries and Israel lag in finding a solution” for the Yemeni operations, "we will likely have to furlough workers," he said, adding that a small number would be required to service any ships that do arrive.

If US attacks Yemen, its battleships will be struck

Yesterday, the leader of the Ansar Allah movement warned the United States of America against attacking Yemen, stressing that American battleships and vessels would become a target for Yemeni missiles in the event of any attack.

In a speech, the Yemeni Resistance leader Sayyed al-Houthi said, "If the United States is considering targeting Yemen, we will not stand idly by," adding that engaging in a direct war with the US and “Israel", instead of US proxies, is what they aspire for the most. 

Ansar Allah's leader called on the Arab countries not to get involved with the United States.

In this context, he stressed that “if America wants to fight Yemen’s stance in support of Palestine, then it would have to confront the entire Yemeni people,” adding that “if that is what America wants, then it will face a harsher situation than that it faced in Afghanistan and Vietnam.”

Sayyed al-Houthi warned Washington against launching any strikes because that would render it completely involved, stressing that Yemen has developed its capabilities on many levels.

Ansar Allah leader, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, reassured European companies, saying, “European vessels that do not have Israeli ports as their final destination are not at risk.”

Regarding the military US navigation in the Red Sea, he called it “illegal” and “a reckless and foolish aggression that only serves Israel,” stressing, however, that European countries that are complicit in the US move are risking their interests.

Sayyed al-Houthi further stressed that the Yemeni people decided not to yield to the United States and not to back down from their religious and moral stance in terms of all the ongoing events in the Red and Arabian seas, as well as the Gulf of Aden. He added that this Yemeni stance is effective and influential and has dealt heavy blows to the Israeli enemy.

Read more: Two Dutch soldiers, one Italian frigate for US led-coalition

He stressed that the Yemeni Naval Forces’ only target in the Red Sea is Israeli ships and “Israel”-bound vessels because the Yemeni actions are never meant to undermine international navigation. Rather, the only target is to support the oppressed Palestinian people, he added.

On the US-led coalition in the Red Sea, Sayyed al-Houthi announced that its actual goal is not to protect international navigation; Rather, it only aims to implicate countries in protecting Israeli ships, in pursuit of militarizing the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and Bab al-Mandab.

In this context, he called on the countries overlooking the coast of the Red Sea to condemn the American move because it violates their rights, stressing that the US turning the Red Sea into a battlefield is detrimental to all countries.

Sayyed al-Houthi praised the Malaysian decision to bar Israeli shipping companies from any activity in Malaysian ports.

Read more: US concern over cost of intercepting Yemen's Red Sea attacks: Politico