Houthi Defense Minister: We are ready for deterrence, response, and the upper hand in the Red and Arab Bahrain of Yemen

The Minister of Defense of the Houthi "Ansar Allah" group, Muhammad Nasser Al-Atfi, confirmed that the group is ready for deterrence and response, and that the upper hand in the Red and Arab Bahrain is Yemen.

Al-Atefi said that the longer the war on our people in Gaza lasts, the more surprises we will have, and they will appear at the time the leadership chooses.

He added: "We say to those in our seas, islands, and all of the Yemeni geography that the stages of guardianship, hegemony, and subordination have been buried and gone forever. A new Yemen has emerged with full sovereignty and the will to possess its national decision."

He addressed the Americans and the British, saying: "We urge you to leave the region and not resort to fabricating false pretexts and justifications. Our hands are on the trigger and our morale is stronger and stronger than steel."

He continued: "We warned repeatedly that the Red Sea has become forbidden to the Zionist enemy entity."

He stressed that the Houthis only target Israeli ships or ships supporting them or heading to them.

Al-Atifi stressed that the rest of the world’s ships that pass through the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea are safe and secure and will not be harmed.

Today at dawn , the American and British armies bombed  Houthi sites in Sanaa, Hodeidah, Taiz, Dhamar and Saada, in a large-scale retaliatory strike. 

The Houthis are targeting commercial ships linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports, near the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end  of the Red Sea , in solidarity with the Gaza Strip.

The Sultanate of Oman denounces the strikes of “friendly countries” on Yemen

The Sultanate of Oman, on Friday, denounced the resort of “friendly countries” to carry out military action against Yemen, following the strikes launched by the United States and Britain on Houthi military sites.

The Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it is "following with great concern the developments of the American-British bombing that affected several cities in brotherly Yemen."

She added, "It cannot help but denounce the resort to this military action carried out by friendly countries, while Israel persists in its bombing, brutal war, and siege of the Gaza Strip without accountability or punishment."

The Ministry stressed that the Sultanate of Oman “has repeatedly warned of the expansion of the circle of conflict and confrontation in the region as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression against the occupied Palestinian territories,” calling on “all parties to stop the escalation and military operations and focus on addressing the root and real causes of the crisis.”

The Sultanate of Oman adheres to a neutral stance on the conflict in Yemen, while playing the role of mediator between the Houthis and the countries of the region that intervene militarily to support the internationally recognized Sanaa government.

The capital, Muscat, hosts the Houthi chief negotiator, Mohammed Abdul Salam, and has also encouraged the release of prisoners between the Yemeni government and the Houthis.

For its part, the State of Kuwait indicated that it is following "with great concern and interest" the development of events in the Red Sea, calling in a statement issued by its Foreign Ministry to maintain "security and stability in the Red Sea region and ensure freedom of navigation."

The UAE expressed its "deep concern about the repercussions of the attacks on maritime navigation in the Bab al-Mandab region and the Red Sea, which represent an unacceptable threat to global trade, the security of the region, and international interests."