US Strikes May Trigger New Stages in Yemeni Support for Gaza: Source

By Al Mayadeen English

As Yemen gets bombarded with a military campaign launched by US President Donald Trump, Yemeni officials affirmed their stance: The aggression on Yemen will not stop Yemenis from supporting Palestine.

The US-UK aggression on Yemen, which saw several airstrikes across Yemen, could lead to an escalation in support for Gaza, a high-level Yemeni source warned on Saturday.

Speaking to Al Mayadeen, the Yemeni source assured that the attacks on the country will not go unanswered, warning that the US strikes may trigger new stages in Yemeni support for Gaza.

The source reaffirmed that "Israeli-linked vessels will not pass through the designated naval zone" following the ban announced by the Yemeni Armed Forces, asserting that the Israeli occupation is under a real siege, while renewing Sanaa's supportive stance for Palestine.

"Yemen will continue this support, whatever the next developments are," the source said, explaining that the aggression "solidifies the effectiveness of Yemen's choices in facing the Israeli entity and its backers, no matter the challenges.

Aggression aims to protect Israeli occupation

The senior Yemeni source told Al Mayadeen that the US-British aggression against Yemen "aims primarily to protect the Israeli occupation entity," expressing Yemen's determination and steadfastness in the face of the ongoing raids."

He explained that the raids launched by the United States on Yemen "represent a clear message from the administration of US President Donald Trump to the Zionist lobby that it is prepared to protect Israel by all means possible."

Trump's statements on Yemen 'hollow'

The source commented on Trump's calls for the Yemeni Armed Forces to immediately cease their operations, describing them as "hollow".

The Yemeni official questioned the extent to which these statements would affect the will of Yemen, which "was not intimidated by the presence of four US aircraft carriers, accompanied by dozens of destroyers and the US Air Force."

The source described, through Al Mayadeen, the US steps toward Yemen, as "tense, aggressive, and criminal," asserting that when the recent sanctions did not affect the people, the US jumped to military aggression, which "will be met with a decisive response."

Ansar Allah Political Bureau affirms Yemen remains steadfast

Condemning the aggression on the country, the Ansar Allah Political Bureau said on Saturday, "The American-British aggression launched a treacherous and criminal attack this evening with multiple airstrikes targeting residential neighborhoods in the capital, Sanaa, resulting in the martyrdom and injury of several civilians."

It further emphasized that targeting civilians is a "full-on war crime and additional evidence of the United States' terrorism against the people and the countries who stand up to Washington's arrogant policies."

It also proves that the "US was and is still fighting on behalf of the Israeli entity in service of its expansionist project and brutal crimes," the bureau added, asserting that "the American-British aggression against Yemen came as a response to Yemen's support for the Palestinian people, who are facing the most brutal aggression and siege by the Zionist entity and the United States,"

However, this, according to the political bureau, will not stop Yemen from "carrying out its religious and human duty" of supporting Gaza, vowing that the assault "will not pass without a response" and affirming the Yemeni Armed Forces' readiness to "meet the escalation with escalation" until it "achieves victory".

On his part, the member of the Ansar Allah Political Bureau Muhammad al-Bukhaiti stated, "The Zionist entity has not adhered to the ceasefire agreement; therefore, our naval operations target it exclusively with the aim of ending the siege on Gaza."

"This is a moral and humanitarian stance," he asserted, adding that "America's involvement in the aggression against Yemen is unjustified and will have consequences. We will respond to escalation with escalation, and the aggressor bears the greater blame."

Trump is misleading global public opinion

Echoing al-Bukhaiti's stance, Mohammad Abdul-Salam, the head of the Sanaa negotiating delegation, labeled the American airstrikes on Yemen as a "blatant act of aggression against a sovereign state," adding that they serve as a catalyst for the Israeli entity to continue its unjust siege on Gaza. 

"Trump's claims that international navigation is in danger at the Bab al-Mandab Strait are false and misleading the global public opinion," stated Abdul Salam, who emphasized that Yemen’s declared naval blockade in support of Gaza only applies to Israeli shipping, which will remain in place until humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza as per the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian Resistance and the Israeli entity. 

This blockade was imposed after a four-day grace period given to mediators, he explained. 

The Yemeni official affirmed that international navigation in the Red Sea remains secure from Yemen's side, while the US airstrikes mark a return to the militarization of the Red Sea, posing the real threat to international shipping in the region.

US-UK launch aggression on Yemen

Yemen's statements come after the launch of a US-led aggression on Yemen on March 15, striking several areas across the country. 

US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the launch of military strikes against Yemen's Ansar Allah in response to the group's operations in the Red Sea, warning that if they did not cease targeting Israeli and Israeli-affiliated commercial vessels along with US warships operating in the region, "hell will rain down upon you."

"The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective," Trump posted on Truth Social. 

The NYT reported that the United States launched large-scale military strikes against "dozens of targets" in Yemen, stating that US President Trump ordered airstrikes on alleged "radars, air defenses, and missile and drone systems," while Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that multiple airstrikes by the US-UK coalition targeted residential neighborhoods, leading to civilian casualties.

The aggression on Yemen follows the Yemeni Armed Forces' announcement of the resumption of military action against all Israeli-linked vessels in a designated zone in the bodies of water surrounding Yemen.