The era of Western dominance of international waters has reached its end and the US and its allies will have to deal with it, Houthi government Defense Minister Mohamed al-Atifi has said.
“The United States, Britain and Israel must realize that the policies of demarcation and assertion of hegemonic influence over the seas have become an obsolete and unwelcome approach,” al-Atifi said in a speech at the graduation ceremony of Yemeni cadets in Hudaydah.
Suggesting that Yemen’s naval forces have “redefined” the concept of regional maritime security, al-Atifi stressed that the Houthis would continue their military operations in the Red Sea as long as the Israeli aggression in Gaza continues, and “as long as blood continues to flow through our veins.”
“We are custodians over the navigational course in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait,” al-Atifi said.
“We reaffirm that the Yemen 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,” the defense minister assured. “Sanaa is committed to all international treaties and conventions that do not infringe upon Yemeni dignity and sovereignty or subject it to hegemony and foreign mandates,” he added.
“Yemen is a haven of peace, partnership, construction, giving and humanity, especially when the intentions are sincere. But when challenges grow and the enemies of God and the nation conspire to impose the will of evil and tyranny, another Yemen emerges and its loyal men find themselves as steadfast mountains against their enemies, strong and proud in their positions, pushing to restore balance and removing symbols of evil, oppression, tyranny and arrogance,” al-Atifi said.
The Houthis campaign of ship hijackings, missile and drone attacks across the Red Sea have turned into an economic and security nightmare for Tel Aviv, Washington and Brussels, with the United States and the European Union setting up two separate missions in the strategic body of water in an attempt to halt Houthi attacks and degrade the militia’s military capabilities.
Along with cratering activity at Israel’s Red Sea port facilities, the Houthi campaign has had a dramatic impact on global shipping costs, sending insurance prices skyrocketing, leading to longer shipping times, contributing to a spike in energy costs, disrupting global supply chains and triggering a global shortage of oil tankers.
The US-led response to the Houthis’ Red Sea campaign has included a series of deadly air and missile strikes inside Yemen beginning on January 12, but the militia, which has already faced and repelled far more intense aerial bombardment by a US-backed Gulf coalition from 2015-2023, has vowed to continue its operations until the Gaza conflict ends.
General al-Atifi warned in December that the Red Sea would become the US-led coalition’s “graveyard” “if the alliance decides to take any action against Yemen.”
“We tell them from the Red Sea that we are the ones who will put a painful end to American hegemony,” the defense minister added in a speech last month.