Yemen’s Defense Minister: Continued aggression against Gaza could make situation worse

Minister of Defense in Sana’a, Major General Muhammad Nasser Al-Atifi, confirmed on Monday Yemen’s full combat readiness to deal with all possible options and hypotheses in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab, and the Arabian Sea.

“Our strategic deterrent weapons and their ranges reach far beyond what the enemies expect, and there are no red lines in front of us, and all possibilities are open, and the time distance is absolute,” Major General Al-Atefi said during the analytical conference for commanders, staff, and officers of the naval and coastal defense forces for the training, combat, and operational year 2023, which was held in Hodeidah city.

The Yemeni Defense Minister commented on the so-called American coalition under the name of protecting international navigation, saying that its main goal is to force Yemen and its people to retreat from their positions in support of the Palestinian people.

He added, “We assure Washington, Tel Aviv, London, and those with them and their agents in the region and those in their orbit that today’s Yemen is different from yesterday’s Yemen, and all the actions and positions you have seen are a prelude and preliminary steps,” threatening with painful future if their hostile stances persist against Gaza people.

The Defense Minister emphasized that all ships in the world would be safe and would be protected, except for the ships identified by the Yemeni armed forces through their official spokesman, in reference to Israeli ships or those linked to Israel.

He added, “As long as the whole world realizes this, it must respect Yemeni sovereignty and acknowledge the freedom and independence of Yemeni sovereign decision-making in its seas and ports.”