As a sign of growing confidence, the Yemeni Armed Forces – affiliated with the Ansarallah group – have vowed to target every cargo ship heading to Israel, regardless of its nationality and who operates it.
The group said that the decision is part of its continued solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which is undergoing a genocidal Israeli war that killed and wounded tens of thousands of Palestinians.
After limiting its action in the Red Sea by only targeting Israeli ships, the Ansarallah group announced on Saturday that it was expanding its operations to include every ship heading to Israel, regardless of its nationality.
In a statement, the group’s military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said that “any ships heading to the Zionist entity will be a legitimate target.”
🚨 YEMENI MILITARY SPOKESMAN: The Yemeni Armed Forces, affiliated with the Ansarallah Group, have decided to prevent the passage of ships heading to Israel if food and medicine are not brought into the Gaza Strip.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 9, 2023
Food to Gaza Now
“We announce that ships bound for the Zionist entity will not pass through if food and medicine do not enter the Gaza Strip,” he said.
Saree warned “all ships and companies not to deal with Israeli ports.”
The Ansarallah group controls Sanaa and Hodeidah on the Red Sea, as well as several governorates in northern and central Yemen.
The group recently targeted Israeli ships, in solidarity with the Gaza Strip. On November 19, it took control of the Israeli ship Galaxy Leader, hauling it and its crew to the Yemeni coast.
On the 25th of the same month, a Yemeni drone attacked another ship owned by the Israeli company Zim.
Later, a Yemeni drone reportedly bombed two Israeli ships in the Red Sea.
YEMENI ARMED FORCES (ANSAR ALLAH): We targeted two Israeli ships at Bab al-Mandab, namely the ship "Unity Explorer" and the ship "Number Nine,"
We will continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating until the aggression against Gaza stops.
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— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 3, 2023
The group said in a statement that “the Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brethren in Gaza stops.”
These operations have forced Israeli ships to take more expensive shipping routes around Africa.
International shipping lines said these routes could add 18 days to the time it took Israeli ships before Ansarallah attacks.
(AJA, PC)
