Maritime ‘hegemonic influence’ of US : Yemen MoD

Yemen’s Defense Minister, Major General Mohammed al-Atifi, stated  that the era of US naval hegemony is “obsolete,” in a reference to the Yemeni armed force’s operations against Israeli-linked commercial ships and US and UK naval ships in West Asia.

“The US, Britain, and Israel must realize that the policies of demarcation and assertion of hegemonic influence on international waters are obsolete and no more favorable,” Atifi said during a graduation ceremony of Yemeni cadets in the country’s western coastal city of Hudaydah. 

Regarding allegations made against Yemen’s naval forces, saying that they pose an international threat to maritime trade, the defense minister stated that Yemen’s targets are clear and defined. 

“We reaffirm that the Yemeni Armed Forces will not target any ships that are neither affiliated with the Zionist enemy nor serving its interests. Marine navigation for vessels through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea is safe,” he said. 

Atifi added that Sanaa is committed to international treaties, conventions, and pacts that don’t undermine Yemen’s sovereignty nor impose wills on the Arab nation. 

“As long as the Zionists’ atrocities continue in Gaza, we will continue our operations against the usurping entity. Washington has aided and abetted the Zionist entity to forge ahead with its genocidal war on our Palestinian brethren and sisters,” he noted.

Yemen announced that it would be conducting operations against Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in November of last year, citing its support for the people of Palestine as they face continued aggression by the Israeli army.  Yemeni forces began targeting US and UK warships after both countries carried out strikes on Yemen in support of Israel.

Since its declaration of war against Israel, Yemen has targeted tens of ships, the most recent of which was the US “TORM THOR” ship. 

“The Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a specific military operation that targeted the American ship ‘TORM THOR’ in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of appropriate naval missiles,” the Yemeni armed forces statement regarding the operation read. “The Air Force also targeted a number of American warships in the Red Sea with a number of UAVs.”

Within the same statement, the Yemeni armed forces made clear that it will continue to “confront the American-British escalation with more qualitative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arab Seas in defense of our country, our people, and our nation.”