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Yemeni Prime Minister Shaya Zindani on Sunday issued a strong condemnation of the continued targeting of commercial shipping in the Red Sea, calling on the international community to take a firmer stance to secure critical maritime corridors and deter Houthi militia activity.
According to a formal statement released by his office, Prime Minister Zindani stated that the group's ongoing attacks on international shipping lanes demonstrate that it is carrying out an Iranian agenda aimed at destabilising regional and global maritime safety. Zindani stressed that these practices extend beyond Yemen by threatening global supply chains, freedom of navigation, and international efforts aimed at achieving peace and stability. "We affirm that protecting freedom of navigation and the security of maritime corridors is a collective responsibility," Zindani said. "The international community is now required to adopt a firmer and more deterrent stance toward the Houthi terrorist behavior, dry up its sources of support, and prevent its continued threats to regional and international interests." He added that the government will continue working alongside the Coalition to Support Legitimacy, led by Saudi Arabia, and international partners to safeguard maritime transit and restore state stability. The PM also held a government meeting to assess the service and economic situation and the field developments in light of the Houthi terrorist militia's escalation of its attacks on maritime navigation and its assaults on army forces across several fronts. Echoing similar concerns, Yemen's Defence Minister Lieutenant General Taher al-Aqili stated earlier in the day that the armed forces, in coordination with the Saudi-led coalition and international partners, remain committed to confronting "the terrorism perpetrated by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia" until its threat is neutralised and state authority is restored nationwide, according to Al Jazeera. The Defence Minister noted that for over a decade, the Houthis have demonstrated they "thrive only on cycles of violence, terrorism, piracy, and chaos," taking advantage of Yemen's strategic geography to imperil international shipping "in service of the agenda of its financiers and operators in Tehran". Al-Aqili emphasised that broader regional and international peace "will not prevail, except by severing the arm of the Revolutionary Guard," and by re-establishing full government authority across all national territory, Al Jazeera reported. The statements follow a security report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) regarding an incident in the southern Red Sea, a high-risk corridor leading toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. According to UKMTO, a commercial tanker witnessed a splash from an unknown projectile in close proximity to the vessel. UKMTO confirmed that the vessel and its crew are safe, while environmental impacts remain unconfirmed at present. Maritime authorities advised vessels transiting the area to exercise caution and report any suspicious activity while investigations continue. On the other hand, Iranian state media (IRIB) reported that a spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi forces claimed that their forces successfully shot down a Turkish-made armed reconnaissance drone, identified as a Bayraktar AKINCI, belonging to Saudi Arabia. According to the spokesperson, the aircraft was carrying out hostile operations over Yemen's Al-Jawf province before being brought down with specialised air defence weaponry. Additionally, IRIB reported that Houthi rebels have targeted three Saudi oil tankers over the past 48 hours, marking a further escalation in regional maritime conflicts. (ANI)
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