Red Sea Attacks Threaten Yemeni People’s Interests, Says Deputy Interior Minister
(AWP) - The Yemeni Deputy Interior Minister, Mohammed al-Mahmoudi, said that the ongoing attacks carried out by the Houthi movement against cargo ships and vessels in the Red Sea pose a significant threat to the interests of the Yemeni people.
In statements to AWP, he said, “There are those who want to militarize the Red Sea, and what they are doing is an open invitation to all forces to station themselves in the Red Sea and on the Yemeni islands. This is completely rejected by the Yemeni people and the legitimate government.”
Al-Mahmoudi added, “Our cause one of destiny, and the issue of the Palestinian people and Gaza is the issue of the Yemeni people. However, what is happening today in the Red Sea constitutes a threat to the security of the Red Sea, as well as the Arabian Sea, which is considered one of the greatest risks to international navigation as well as to the interests of the Yemeni people.”
The Yemeni official stressed that the country’s internationally recognised government “has the ability to protect the Yemeni lands, ports, and the Red Sea,” but that it needs “real partnership from the international community and real support for political decision-making, as well as military capability.”
Many cargo ships and vessels were attacked by the Houthi movement in Yemen in recent months, threatening international navigation and undermining global trade.
The Houthi group claims that its assaults are in response to the Israeli war on the Palestinian Gaza Strip that broke out last October.
The United States of America and Britain have launched repeated strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen with the aim of disrupting and weakening the group's ability to harm Red Sea navigation.
Nonetheless, Yemeni political analyst, Yasser al-Malik, believes that these strikes will not lead to solutions, stressing the need to strengthen the Yemeni government in confronting the Houthi group.
Al-Malik said, “With regard to the Red Sea and the resulting international moves to resolve the Yemeni crisis, I believe that it was a reaction, and that this matter will not produce solutions as long as it does not comprehend the Yemeni reality as it is. The Yemeni situation and Yemeni politics are completely different from what the international community perceives.”
He explained, “The international community is dealing with the Houthi group from a military perspective, as if it can rid the Yemenis of this group. I believe that this solution is ineffective because without strengthening the Yemeni institutions and the legitimate Yemeni government, the international community alone will not be able to eliminate the roots of the Houthi group.”
“International or foreign intervention against this group will not be accepted if it is not supported from within and supported primarily by the Yemeni government,” the analyst concluded.