Yemeni SPC chief praises pro-Palestine position of armed forces

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Dec 2023 20:57

Yemeni Supreme Political Council chief Mahdi al-Mashat commends the Yemeni Armed Forces, as well as the Lebanese and Palestinian Resistance, for their support of Palestine and solidarity with Gaza.

Yemeni Supreme Political Council chief Mahdi Al-Mashat

Yemeni Supreme Political Council chairman Mahdi Al-Mashat praised on Tuesday the Yemeni armed forces as they fight alongside the factions of Palestinian resistance and the Islamic resistance in Lebanon.

Al-Mashat's remarks came in an address to the Yemeni armed forces, in which he stated, "In the face of the current significant challenges and imminent dangers, and in the face of the dangerous and flagrant escalation by the Israeli enemy, we must, and you (the Yemeni armed forces) must exert make all efforts possible to strike the enemies, raise the level of readiness, and prepare to face all possibilities."

Defending Palestine and occupied al-Quds, as well as supporting Gaza in this "great battle and critical circumstances," he said, was tantamount to defending Yemen and humanity as a whole."

The Islamic World, the Yemeni top official stressed, is "going through a sensitive stage in the struggle against the American enemy that has been a tyrant and a proliferation of corruption in this world."

The US' crimes in Gaza "are not new, they are a drop in the ocean of its horrendous crimes against humanity that it has been committing since it came into existence," al-Mashat said.

Responding to the calls of the Yemeni people and the directives of Ansar Allah's leader, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the Yemeni Armed Forces expanded their pool of targets to include all ships heading to Israeli ports passing through the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea.

Earlier on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the YAF, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, confirmed that the YAF's Navy had targeted a Norweigian-flagged oil tanker with an anti-ship missile.

The Strinda was en route to an Israeli port in occupied Palestine, a destination that prompted the YAF to take action and strike the vessel. This came after the YAF's numerous warnings were issued to its disregarding crew.

"In support of our Palestinian people, amid their grave plight, who are currently facing death, destruction, and siege in the Gaza Strip, and in response to the calls of the free people of Yemen and the free people of our Ummah, the naval forces have executed a top-tier military operation against the Norwegian 'Strinda' ship," Saree announced.

Reiterating the YAF's previous announcements, Saree said, "The Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to target any ship that violates the directions in previous statements," he stressed.

US indecisive in Yemen

The US, feeling the pressure of Yemen's response to Gaza's call to action, would be going into unprecedented territories by doing saw, highlighting yet again its destructive policies in the region. According to The Guardian, "There is pressure in Congress to designate" Ansar Allah "as a foreign terrorist organization."

Concurrently, Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen, has recently met with the Saudi-backed government in Yemen and has also discussed the US's response to the YAF's operations with Saudi officials.

Designating Ansar Allah as a terrorist organization would block financial transfers meant to pay Yemeni government employees, one of the Sanaa government's main demands for peace with the Saudi-led coalition. Moreover, the action would also tighten the blockade on the country whose airports and seaports have seen limited use.

However, the US has stepped into untested waters, as its threats target a government and Resistance movement that have shown unwavering support to the Palestinian people and their Resistance. The US risks the burial of a plan that would see major steps toward peace in the region, including the withdrawal of occupying forces from Yemen and a signing ceremony between parties witnessed by other countries.