Sanaa—As the United States continues its attack on Yemen, Abdel-Malik Al-Houthi, the Houthi leader, stressed that escalation in the Red Sea can come to an end once humanitarian aid is allowed to enter into Gaza and the Israelis lift their blockade.
Speaking on Television to the Yemeni people following a US attack the night before, Al-Houthi said on Sunday “if they [the US] continue their aggression, we will continue the escalation”. A few hours after the speech Two US airstrikes targeted the command tower of a detained Israeli ship, the Galaxy Leader, off the coast of Hudeydah along with a cotton gin in Zabid district.
According to Yemeni media, the death toll from the American Saturday’s attack has risen to 53, including five children and two women, and the number of wounded reached 98 people including 18 children and one woman.
The Houthi’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Sunday night their forces “targeted the US aircraft carrier Harry S Truman with 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and a drone.” He also said that the US launched more than 170 air raids on various areas in Yemen.
Abdel-Malik Al-Houthi tried in his speech on Sunday to present his case as to why a naval blockade on Israel-linked ships is necessitated by the need for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, questioning what he called the American “aggression against his people”:
“The American aggression came after our country announced a clear position in support of the Palestinian people regarding the Israeli enemy’s starvation of the people of Gaza. The crime of starving 2 million Palestinians during the holy month of Ramadan is a very serious crime, in every sense of the word,” he said.
“There is already starvation, and thirst is added to it, amidst the great catastrophe the Palestinian people are experiencing in the Gaza Strip after 15 months of genocide and destruction.
“When the Israeli, in partnership with the United States, moves toward committing genocide in Gaza, this is a red line, and we cannot stand idly by. There are legal and humanitarian obligations, even for non-Muslims, but everyone in the international community is neglecting their obligations.
“American will not achieve its goal of pressuring us to back down from our position. The only solution is to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
“We will confront escalation with escalation, and we will respond to the Americans by targeting its aircraft carrier and warships and blocking its ships.
“The American transformation of the sea into a battlefield affects international navigation, and it is the duty of countries to know who poses a threat to navigation. The Americans seeks to influence international navigation by turning the sea into a battlefield.
And “If the American aggression against our country continues, we will move to additional escalatory options.”