Aden (Al-Ittihad)
The joint Yemeni forces announced that they had raised their level of alert and readiness to fortify the Bab al-Mandab Strait from attacks by the Houthi group, while Yemeni-American discussions were held, which dealt with threats to the security of international navigation and their effects on regional and international security and stability.
The joint forces deployed military and naval units to prevent any Houthi attacks and to secure the passage of commercial cargo ships, especially in Yemeni territorial waters, and even to Mayon Island in the heart of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
A commander in the joint forces on the West Coast said that the forces “are securing the international corridor, and we are constantly working to conduct continuous naval patrols and monitor ships passing through the strait, and we are in high combat readiness,” according to local media reports.
He added that his forces are “fully prepared to confront any attacks or attempts to destabilize security in the Bab al-Mandab Strait,” pointing out the existence of a control operations room through which reports are received and sent.
He also stressed that “the Houthi attacks did not reach the joint forces sector allocated to Mayon Island and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and therefore their impact was limited.”
He pointed out that most of the Houthi attacks occurred about 60 miles west of the port of Mokha, adding that there is an international force concerned with protecting international navigation.
Mayon Island, administratively affiliated with Aden Governorate, is a strategic advantage for Yemen in its view of Bab al-Mandab, where specialized military and security units are deployed, ready to confront any potential dangers or threats from the Houthis, who have escalated their hostile activities against commercial ships sailing through the strait.
The end of last year and the beginning of this year recorded a wave of attacks launched by the Houthis on commercial ships in the vicinity of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
In a related context, Yemeni Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik discussed with the US envoy to Yemen, Tim Lenderking, yesterday the Houthi group’s continued threats to the security of international navigation and their effects on regional and international security and stability.
The developments in the situation on the national scene and the coordinated international, international and regional efforts to advance the peace process in Yemen were reviewed.
The meeting also touched on “the efforts made by the government to carry out its duties to alleviate the human suffering caused by the Houthi war, implement the reform program to maintain economic and service stability, and the international support required to support its efforts.”
Many companies providing logistical services are avoiding their route through the Red Sea following successive Houthi attacks on commercial ships, according to the International Maritime Organization.
On December 18, 2023, the United States announced the establishment of a multinational naval military coalition, an initiative it launched with the aim of confronting those Houthi attacks targeting commercial ships across the Red Sea.
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