Ansarullah: Deal with US will not halt Yemeni strikes on Israel

The Ansarullah resistance movement says the US pause in airstrikes on Yemen in exchange for a halt on attacks on US warships in the Red Sea does not alter Yemen’s position on targeting Israel.

Ansarullah’s spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam stressed that Yemen’s Armed Forces will continue to target Israeli positions in solidarity with Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

The agreement with the US has “no connection with our stance on supporting Gaza”, Abdul-Salam said, adding “the support of Yemeni nation for Gaza will expand in a better way.”

Since the onset of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, Yemeni forces have carried out scores of operations in support of the war-hit Gazans, striking targets throughout the occupied Palestinian territories, in addition to targeting Israeli ships or vessels heading towards ports in the occupied territories.

In support of Israel, the US announced the formation of a maritime task force in the Red Sea in December 2023 to protect the passage of vessels bound for the Israeli-occupied territories.

Yemeni forces responded by ramping up their strikes against strategic and sensitive Israeli and American targets, including US warships and aircraft carriers deployed off Yemen’s coastline.

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the US will stop bombing Yemen, saying that the country had agreed to stop targeting ships in the Red Sea. 

After Trump made the announcement, Oman said it had mediated the ceasefire deal.

“Yemen’s position on the Palestinian issue and its support for Gaza will not change. We received requests from the US through the Sultanate of Oman, and what changed was the US position, while our stance remains unchanged,” Abdul-Salam said, adding “the position declared by Trump reflects this”.

“The statement made by Oman’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarifies that this agreement was for halting US aggression against Yemen in exchange for halting attacks on US ships, without any mention of targeting the territory occupied by the Zionist regime.” 

The Ansarullah spokesman emphasized that the US proposal showed its incompetence and failure, as the country was unable to protect Israeli ships.

Abdul-Salam said Yemen is still evaluating the US position in a bid to ensure that it was not not just a statement.

“If the US resumes its attacks, we will resume operations against Washington,” the resistance group’s spokesperson said.

On Tuesday, Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad al-Busaidi said, “In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping.”

Since March, the US, along with Britain and Israel, have carried out multiple airstrikes on Yemen, claiming to have hit more than 1,000 targets. The campaign aims to halt Yemeni military operations against Israel and Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea as well as attacks targeting military sites deep within the occupied Palestinian territories.

On Sunday, the Israeli military failed to intercept a Yemeni missile that successfully struck the heavily fortified Ben Gurion airport. Following the attack, the Yemeni Armed Forces vowed to impose a complete “aerial blockade” on Israel by “repeatedly targeting airports,” especially Ben Gurion. 

In response, Israeli jets bomed Sana’a International Airport and other civilian infrastructure, prompting Yemen to pledge strikes on Israeli targets with added force.