Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree made the announcement on Friday, saying that the Arab country has launched the fourth phase of its military operation in support of the Palestinian people following an order by Ansarullah Leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi.
Saree said that Yemen is closely monitoring the situation in Gaza, the ongoing ceasefire talks and the Israeli regime’s plan for a ground offensive against the southern city of Rafah, adding that the regime intends to push for the release of its captives without a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
If the Israeli regime conducts an offensive in Rafah, all ships related to the regime will be sanctioned regardless of their nationality, he said.
All vessels, which violate the ban on Israeli-linked shipping and head toward ports in Israeli-occupied territories via the Mediterranean, will be targeted, the spokesman said.
Yemen has already begun targeting Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Indian Ocean in mid-November in response to the regime’s war on Gaza.
The US and the UK have launched airstrikes on Yemen in mid-January for what they call protecting international shipping.
Yemen however says that the airstrikes are part of support by the US-UK alliance to the Israeli regime in its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.
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