December 18, 2023

Below is a statement by Ansarallah (called the Houthi movement in the imperialist media) spokesperson, Mohammed Abdul Salam, which was posted on Resistance News Network on Dec. 16. 

The accompanying news is that the largest shipping company in the world, the Swiss-Italian MSC, has decided to cease all shipments in the Red Sea in response to the operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces targeting any ship headed to the Zionist entity’s Eilat port in southern occupied Palestine until the siege of Gaza is lifted. This port has been temporarily closed.  

According to Israel National News, maritime shipping giant OOCL, which is based in Hong Kong, has announced that it will immediately cease handling Israeli shipping of any kind and to any port, whether importing or exporting. (Dec. 17)

Danish shipping company Maersk and German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, some of the world’s largest shipping companies, stated that they would halt all journeys through the Red Sea; this comes after several attacks on their vessels by Yemen’s Ansarallah. (red, Dec. 16)  British Petroleum (BP) can also be added to this list. 

The Iran Observer reports on Dec. 17 that the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are helping Israel to circumvent the Yemeni blockade of the Red Sea. The Biden administration is threatening to send nuclear warships to the Red Sea, a blatant violation of Yemen’s sovereignty.

Yemen’s stance on Palestine stems from religious, national and moral principles.

Yemen considers “Israel” a threat to the [Arab and Islamic] nation, encompassing both the people and states, posing a real danger to the unity of the Islamic nation.

Yemen’s operations have a significant economic impact on the “Israeli” enemy and serve as a justification for the Islamic world.

There is ongoing communication with influential and impactful countries, aiming to achieve stated objectives, including lifting the blockade on Gaza and stopping the aggression against it.

The Palestinian cause is non-negotiable, and we cannot accept what is happening to the people of Gaza.

Any actions carried out by the Yemeni Armed Forces are linked to lifting the siege on Gaza and halting the aggression against it.

If you want to stop Yemen’s naval operations against the “Israeli” enemy, you must lift the blockade on Gaza, and food and medicine must be allowed in.

We affirm that the Red Sea is safe except for ships associated with the “Israeli” enemy. We praise the position of the Chinese company to stop sending its ships to the ports of the occupying entity.

The above statement was slightly edited.