Alwaght- The spokesman to the Yemeni army General Yahya Saree stated on Thursday night that Yemeni forces attacked a British ship bound for Israeli ports.
The ship appears to have violated a ban Yemen is imposing on Israel for its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The ship, identified as LYCAVITOS, was targeted by proper naval missiles, stated Saree.
“The attack comes in solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian nation and in retaliation for the American-British aggression on Yemen,” the statement added.
“The Armed Forces [of Yemen] are in the process of taking further measures in response to the American-British aggression against Yemen and in reiteration of support for Palestine,” the statement further held.
The news of the attack was also confirmed by the British government's maritime agency.
A ship reported an explosion close to it 85 nautical miles east of Gulf of Aden at about 1:45 PM UTC on Thursday, the British Maritime Trade Operations agency said on an X post.
A broader hit list
In the beginning, the Yemeni attacks were focused on Israeli ships, but the Yemeni hit list broadened as the US and Britain decided to launch strikes on Yemen for what they called restoring freedom of international navigation.
The excuse for attacks on Yemen were largely sham, many analysts agree, as Yemen more than once said it only imposes a ban on Israeli ships and ports and that vessels of other countries can freely sail through strategic Bab-el-Mandeb Strait if they avoid Israeli ports.
However, Western ships ignored the ban, leaving Yemen no choice. The Yemeni forces say they issue warnings to ship before any missile attacks.
From November 19, 2023, until February 12, 2024, the Yemeni armed forces carried out 24 naval operations, targeting 27 ships, including three ships owned by the Israeli entity, 11 American ships, including warships, 3 British ships, and 10 ships that were heading to the occupied Palestinian ports, according to Al-Masirah TV of Yemen.
The American and British airstrikes complicated the Red Sea crisis, triggering Sana’a warning that British and American ships, both military and civil, are now “legitimate targets” for retaliatory strikes.
So far, several countries condemned the attacks on Yemen, saying they only compound the situation.
Iran said that the attacks on Yemen are in violation of the UN charter and do not help a solution to the crisis. It recommended the West to press Israel to end its Gaza war if they want Yemeni attacks to end.
Russia and China, too, took stances against the bombing campaign in Yemen.
Moscow and Beijing representatives at the UN on Wednesday accused Washington and London of illegally attacking Yemeni positions.
The US seems to find itself in a tight spot as its attacks are seen as a support for ongoing Israeli crimes in Gaza and the West Bank and at the same time did nothing to reduce Yemen's operation power.
Ansarullah said its support to Palestine is unwavering and that the Western attacks are making no difference.
“Even if America succeeds in mobilizing the entire world, our military operations will not stop … no matter the sacrifices it costs us,” said Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior Ansarullah official, in December.
Yemen would only halt their attacks if Israel’s “crimes in Gaza stop and food, medicines and fuel are allowed to reach its besieged population”, al-Bukhaiti said.
He spoke after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a naval coalition against Sana’a.
The coalition in the beginning contained names of several Western countries, but it soon collapsed as mentioned countries said they were not on board.
