U.S. Escalates Red Sea Conflict With Attack on Yemen Sailors

Brigadier General Yahya Sarie of Yemen's Armed Forces issued a statement late last night: 

"While the Naval Forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces were carrying out their routine official duties in reinforcing security and stability and protecting maritime navigation, in addition fulfilling their humanitarian and ethical duty declared by Yemen in prohibiting “Israeli” ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine from passing through the Red Sea in solidarity and support of the Palestinian people, the American enemy forces attacked three boats belonging to the Yemeni Naval Forces, resulting in the martyrdom and loss of ten naval personnel.

The Yemeni armed forces confirm that the American enemy bears the consequences of this crime and its repercussions, and that its military presence in the Red Sea to protect Israeli ships will not prevent Yemen from performing its religious, moral, and humanitarian duty in support and victory for the oppressed in Palestine and Gaza." 

According to the U.S. Navy:

“The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the MAERSK HANGZHOU, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel,”

Yemen had enjoyed some measure of success in slowing the provision of supplies to fascist Israel and imposing a penalty on the rest of the world for allowing the genocide to continue unabated. The impact gave some encouragement to Palestinians by letting them know that they were not entirely alone in their plight. It also gave a glimmer of hope to the billions of others around the world who feel the pain caused by Israeli-American insane atrocities. 

To date, Yemen's unilateral actions in the blockade had not resulted in the loss of life. They were careful to give every ship they targeted ample opportunity to avoid violence and only targeted those they believed were either owned by Israelis or sailing to or from Israeli controlled ports. It is the U.S. which has drawn first blood in the Red Sea conflict, which for Washington is just a continuation in its ongoing war for profit against the people of Yemen and its subservience to Israel. The U.S. orchestrated war on the people of Yemen in partnership with Saudi Arabia has killed almost 400,000 so far, most of them innocent women and children.

Iran had been backing Yemen but in March 2023 it was reported that it had agreed to end arms shipments as part of a China led peace agreement. As late as 23 December 2023, Hans Grundberg, the UN special envoy for Yemen, claimed that the warring parties were committed to peace. 

Israel is blaming all resistance to its terrorism on Iran and is trying hard to get the U.S. to wage war on Iran, because it is the only significant force in the region that is not corrupted by Israel. But, Iran has not taken the bait and is allowing Israel and its supporters to show their true nature to the world and in the end that will be far more effective at reducing the threat they pose to humanity.