News - World: The commander of the US Navy's 5th Fleet, Vice Admiral George M. Wikoff, admitted on Wednesday that the United States has failed to stop attacks by Yemeni Armed Forces on ships in the Red Sea.

"We have certainly reduced their capabilities, there is no doubt about that, but have we stopped them? Nope," Russia Today quoted spokesman for the Center for Strategic and International Studies as saying. Citing several attacks by Yemeni Armed Forces on commercial vessels in recent days, he believes this only serves to "reinforce Yemenis' desire to terrorize shipping" in the Middle East.

"Our job remains to reduce their capabilities and maintain some semblance of order at sea," Wickoff said. According to him, the instability in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden is due to the actions of Yemenis. "They can stop this at any time."

Tensions have escalated in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden since the Yemeni Armed Forces began launching attacks last November on Israeli ships or those associated with Israel or heading to its ports, in response to the Israeli aggression launched against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

On October 10th, the Yemeni Armed Forces announced that they would support the Palestinian factions in the face of the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip with rocket and air attacks and "other military options" if the US intervenes militarily in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Strip.

The Yemeni forces have carried out numerous operations in support of the war-hit Gazans since the onset of Israel’s war on Gaza early last October, striking targets throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, in addition to targeting Israeli ships or vessels heading towards ports in the occupied territories.

The Israeli bloody onslaught on Gaza has so far killed 39,677 Palestinians, mostly women and children, leaving 91,645 others injured.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have declared that they will not cease retaliatory strikes. The maritime attacks have compelled major shipping and oil companies to suspend their voyages to the ports of the Zionist enemy.