News- Yemen: Zakaria Al-Sharabi, Head of the Information Center at the Moral Guidance Department, said the naval confrontation waged by the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea marked a decisive turning point that overturned traditional maritime power equations, demonstrating the inability of the “empires” to sustain warfare against low-cost tools backed by strong will and qualitative innovation.

Al-Sharabi stated to Al-Masirah TV that the United States has faced unprecedented attrition affecting its finances, strategic stockpiles, and operational capabilities, stressing that the events in the Red Sea represent a qualitative shift in the history of naval conflict.

He explained that the experience proved how determination and innovative tools can halt even the world’s most powerful fleets, noting that the maritime denial strategy imposed by the Yemeni Armed Forces on the US fleet constitutes a rare precedent in US naval history.

Al-Sharabi pointed out that US incapacity became evident when its fleet failed to approach Yemeni shores or even territorial waters, instead redeploying at long distances. He cited the positioning of a US aircraft carrier in the far north of the Red Sea as a clear indicator of lost control and dominance.

He added that Yemen’s qualitative operations demonstrated high effectiveness, forcing the US aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to execute a sharp evasive maneuver to escape a Yemeni missile—an episode that, he said, transformed the carrier from a tool of US dominance into a vulnerable target compelled to retreat.

Despite lacking a conventional navy, Al-Sharabi said Yemen succeeded—through resolve and tactical innovation—in breaking classical naval doctrines that claim control of the seas equates to control of the world. He emphasized that appropriate technologies, even if low-cost, combined with steadfast will, can impose new balances and reshape power dynamics.

He stressed that confronting the US Navy does not require a massive fleet, but rather effective tactics and low-cost means that impose heavy burdens on the world’s most powerful navy.

In a related context, Al-Sharabi said Washington’s move toward copying or reverse-engineering Yemeni and Iranian drone models reflects implicit recognition of their effectiveness—particularly in cost and speed—compared with US military industries burdened by complexity, bureaucracy, and high expenses. He noted that some US aircraft cost tens of millions of dollars and require long production timelines.

According to Al-Sharabi, the US challenge is not cost alone but operational viability in hostile environments, raising questions about launch bases, reliance on naval fleets, and the ability to simultaneously protect vessels—warning that any counterattack could drive such naval assets out of the theater.

He concluded that despite possessing advanced stealth aircraft and bombers, the United States has failed to achieve decisive gains, turning its presence in the Red Sea into a heavy liability. The core failure, he said, lies in the defensive domain, where proposed solutions—such as laser systems—have field-failed against saturation tactics.

The recent Yemeni naval operations in the Red Sea signal a pivotal shift in maritime warfare, demonstrating that determination, tactical innovation, and low-cost weapons can undermine even the world’s most advanced fleets. 

These events have exposed the limitations of “imperial” navies in sustaining prolonged operations against agile and asymmetric threats, challenging long-held assumptions about sea control and dominance. 

Analysts note that Yemen’s ability to impose a maritime denial strategy has not only constrained US naval movements but also forced a reevaluation of global naval doctrines, proving that strategic ingenuity and steadfast resolve can outweigh technological superiority.