News - Yemen: Yemeni Armed Forces declared on Saturday their intention to block ships heading towards Israel, regardless of their nationality, except those carrying essential food and medicine destined for Gaza.

Yahya Sare'e, the spokesman for the Armed Forces, clarified that this decision is a response to the continuous atrocities committed by Israel, including brutal massacres, genocidal acts, and the blockade imposed on people in Gaza.

The statement emphasized that any ship en route to Israel will be regarded as a legitimate target for Yemeni Armed Forces. It cautioned all vessels and companies against engaging with Israeli ports.

The Armed Forces affirmed their commitment to immediately enforce this decision, citing their successful prevention of Israeli ships from navigating in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf as precedent.

Furthermore, the statement reiterated their commitment to facilitating trade for all nations and ships, except those linked to Israel or transporting goods to Israeli ports.

The Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a relentless military campaign against Gaza in early October.

The Armed Forces have also launched attacks on ships linked to Israel sailing off the Yemeni ports. On November 19, they boarded and seized a ship believed to be linked to the regime in Tel Aviv.

That caused some shipping companies with interests in the occupied Palestine to reroute their vessels and take longer journeys around Africa to avoid attacks by the Yemenis.

More than 17,400 people have been killed in Gaza since the regime launched its attacks on October 7, the day when the Palestinian resistance group Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the Israelis.