Yemeni police forces march during a military parade held to mark the anniversary of their takeover in Sana’a, Yemen, on September 21, 2023. (Photo via Reuters)
Sanaa, September 21 (RHC)-- The Yemeni defense minister says the country’s armed forces are prepared for a long war against Israel, adding that defending Palestine against the usurping regime is a "religious duty."
“The Yemeni Army holds the key to victory, and is prepared for a long war of attrition against the usurping Zionist regime, its sponsors and allies," Major General Mohammad al-Atifi said on Thursday.
He stressed that demonstrating solidarity with the legitimate campaign of the Palestinian nation against Israeli occupation and providing support for the al-Aqsa Mosque as well as oppressed people in the Gaza Strip are among the fundamental principles of Yemen.
"Our struggle against the Nazi Zionist entity is deeply rooted in our beliefs. We are well aware of the fact that this campaign is a sacred and religious duty that requires tremendous sacrifices,” Atifi stated. He emphasized that Yemeni Armed Forces are fully prepared for ready a full-blown confrontation, and have the willpower and determination for a prolonged war. And the Yemeni deputy defense minister has shrugged off Israel’s military threats.
Meanwhile, the leader of Iraq’s Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq resistance group hailed Yemen's support for the Palestinian cause and confronting the Israeli regime. “Yemen's support for Palestine represents a model to be emulated. Yemenis have proven to the whole world that they are capable of creating miracles and changing the balance of power,” Qais al-Khazali told al-Masirah TV on Thursday.
“What the Yemeni nation has obtained under the aegis of leader of the Ansarullah resistance movement Abdul-Malik al-Houthi is a great achievement, which every Arab and Muslim could be proud of," he said.
Khazali also criticized the weak position of Arab and Muslim countries on the Palestinian issue, calling on Muslim nations to unite and join forces in support of the Palestinian resistance front. “The Israeli war on Gaza and the Palestinian issue are not simply confined to the Arab world. They relate to the entire Muslim Ummah [nation], and showing solidarity with them is every Muslim’s bouden duty,” he pointed out.
Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7 last year, killing more than 41,000 Palestinians to date.
The Yemeni Armed Forces have said that they won’t stop their attacks until unrelenting Israeli ground and aerial attacks in Gaza end.
The Ansarullah chief has said it is “a great honor and blessing to be confronting America directly.”
Yemeni operations to stop Israeli-linked ships in the past year have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.
Tankers are instead adding thousands of miles to international shipping routes by sailing around the continent of Africa rather than going through the Suez Canal.
