In a bid to dissuade Yemen's Houthis from their backing of Gaza, the United States has initiated dialogue with the rebel Ansar Allah movement, according to Mahdi al-Mashat, Chairman of Ansar Allah's Supreme Political Council.
"The Americans are currently making efforts, even resorting to intermediaries, to convince us to retract our support for Gaza. However, we firmly reject their overtures as they contradict our religious, moral, and principled stance," al-Mashat revealed. His remarks were broadcast on the Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV channel.
Alleging failure of the international coalition forces in military confrontations, the head of the political council suggested that the adversary was banking on an alternate strategy. However, he did not elaborate on the specifics of the American settlement attempts.
In the wake of heightened tensions in the Gaza Strip, the Ansar Allah movement issued a warning of shelling Israeli territory and obstructing ships associated with Israel from traversing the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the situation in the Palestinian enclave stabilizes. The Houthis have been targeting numerous civilian vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since last November.
In March, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the movement's leader, declared intentions to target ships linked to Israel sailing through the Indian Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope. Subsequently, on May 3, Ansar Allah's military spokesperson announced the commencement of a "fourth phase of escalation," targeting ships bound for Israeli ports across their operational scope, including the Mediterranean Sea.
In response to Ansar Allah's actions, US authorities announced the formation of an international coalition and launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to safeguard navigation freedom and ensure ship security in the Red Sea. Consequently, the armed forces of Great Britain and the United States initiated regular strikes on rebel military installations across various Yemeni provinces.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: David Berkowitz/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS