Yemen Targets 'Israel', Vessel in Red Sea as US-led Coalition Watches

By Al Mayadeen English

26 Dec 2023 21:33

The Yemeni Armed Forces target Israeli military targets in "Eilat" and across occupied Palestine using drones.

The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out on Tuesday operations targeting the Israeli occupation entity and to enforce Sanaa's Red Sea equation in response to the war on Gaza and in support of the Palestinians.

In a statement, Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said Yemen's Navy Forces targeted the MSC UNITED commercial ship using appropriate naval missiles after the vessel's crew ignored three calls and repeated warning shots from the Navy units.

Furthermore, Saree announced that the army's drone unit also carried out a military operation using several UAVs targeting military locations in Umm al-Rashrash, i.e. "Eilat", and other regions in occupied Palestine.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm their ongoing commitment to support and aid the Palestinian people as part of their religious, moral, and humanitarian duty," the spokesperson said.

He also emphasized that the Yemeni military will continue to carry out military operations in the Red and Arabian seas against Israeli ships or vessels bound to the occupation entity until sufficient food and medicine are delivered to Gaza.

Reiterating Yemen's equation, Saree confirmed that the army is "fully committed to ensuring the continued maritime navigation to all destinations except to the Israeli entity."

A collapsing coalition

Around a week has passed since the Pentagon announced the launching of Operation Prosperity Guardian, which will include contributions from 20 nations. However, it continues to be haunted by the reluctant participation of its members and uncertainty behind the operation's objectives.

Major member countries have announced stepping back or scaling down on commitment to the alliance, including France, which said it will not be operating under Washington's orders and will limit its operations to protect EU vessels, and Spain, which declared it will not participate entirely.

Upon announcing the anti-Yemen force, the leader of the Ansar Allah movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, warned the US on December 20 against attacking Yemen, stressing that American battleships and vessels would become a target for Yemeni missiles in the event of any attack.

According to an analysis by Michael Horton in Responsible Statecraft, the attacks carried out by the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea are not only "creating a global shipping crisis" but are also "paying hefty political and even strategic dividends" for the Yemenis.

Support has grown in Yemen and other Muslim countries as many now see that Ansar Allah is "standing against Israeli aggression," the author said.

Citing Yemeni sources, he reported that not only are Yemeni citizens rushing to join Ansar Allah, but numerous Yemeni businesses and citizens are also contributing to the effort financially, which increases the regional power of the YAF, and despite the heavy price the Yemeni people will pay due to import disruptions, they are still "hardwired for resilience and adaptability."

The author explains that while the US and its allies focus on costly "defensive measures", Ansar Allah has "factories, many of which are located in hard-to-target dense urban areas, which can manufacture — supplies permitting—dozens to hundreds of low-end drones per week."

According to the report, the Yemeni army "largely achieved its objectives" of harming "Israel" and its allies economically, as well as showing off its regional reach and increasing support within Yemen.

Tracking the latest developments, Horton concludes that the US has "no good options" when it comes to their response apart from actively putting an end to "Israel's unrelenting offensive in Gaza."