News - Yemen: Defense Minister Major General Mohammed Nasser Al-Atifi confirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces are fully prepared for further escalation against the Israeli enemy should the leadership issue directives to tighten the aerial and naval blockade and inflict greater losses on the enemy at all levels.

In a report submitted to the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, Minister Al-Atifi stated that the Yemeni Armed Forces hold the strategic initiative and deterrent capability, enabling them to launch missiles and drones around the clock under all conditions, targeting critical, sensitive, and strategic enemy sites deep in occupied Palestinian territories.

He emphasized that the prolonged confrontation has significantly enhanced Yemen’s defensive and offensive military capabilities, achieving longer ranges, higher precision, greater impact, and advanced technology. The minister affirmed the Armed Forces’ readiness to continue effective and impactful support for the people of Gaza and Palestinian resistance factions, who are waging a battle of dignity, honor, and resistance in defense of the nation and Islamic holy sites.

The report highlighted that Yemen has successfully thwarted US aggression, ending the era of naval dominance by fleets and aircraft carriers that persisted since World War II. Yemen has written a new chapter in modern warfare, defined by hypersonic missiles and advanced drone capabilities.

Council of Ministers Praises Yemen’s Military Operations

The Council of Ministers commended the qualitative and painful operations carried out by the Yemeni Armed Forces, particularly the Rocketry Force and Drone Corps, against vital enemy targets—most notably Ben Gurion Airport (Lod), where flight operations have been repeatedly disrupted.

The Council praised the rapid military advancements demonstrated by Yemen’s hypersonic missiles and drone technology, stressing that no amount of pressure, intimidation, incentives, or mediation will deter Yemen—leadership, government, and people—from fulfilling their religious, fraternal, and moral duty to support the oppressed in Gaza until Zionist aggression and massacres cease, the siege is lifted.

The Council warned that continued Israeli brutality will be met with further escalation from Yemen, inflicting greater military, economic, and political losses on the enemy while deepening its internal crises and defeatist morale.

For over a year, Yemen’s Armed Forces have intensified military operations against Israeli-linked targets as part of solidarity actions with the Palestinian people in Gaza. These operations, which include missile and drone strikes as well as naval blockades, have notably impacted strategic infrastructure such as Lod Airport.

Since October 7, 2023, when the Israeli regime began its genocidal war on Gaza, it has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians and injured over 124,000 others, most of whom are children and women.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has escalated dramatically since March 2, after the Israeli regime imposed an aid blockade on the besieged territory.

Since the aid blockade began, 57 children have died from the effects of malnutrition, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

This number is likely an underestimate and is likely to increase, according to the World Health Organization. 

WHO warned last month that if the situation persists, nearly 71,000 children under the age of five are expected to be acutely malnourished over the next eleven months, citing a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).