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Yemen acting independently regarding anti-Israel operations: Iran

Tuesday, 19 December 2023 11:02 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 19 December 2023 11:04 AM ]

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani says Yemen is an independent country and its operations against Israel come in response to Israel’s genocidal war in the Gaza Strip.

Bagheri Kani said on Monday that Yemen is an “independent player” that acts “based on its assessment.”

“The Yemeni government has announced that it will try to prevent aid from reaching Israel as long as the Israelis continue their crimes against the people of Gaza,” he added.

“It is not right to attribute their actions to others.”

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long violence against Palestinians.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 19,400 Palestinians and injured more than 52,000 others.

Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which is under “complete siege” by Israel.

Yemen has said that the military units would target all ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or carrying the Israeli flag in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s onslaught on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Yemen says will turn Red Sea into ‘graveyard’ after US announces maritime coalition

Yemen’s defense minister has denounced the formation of a US-led maritime task force in the Red Sea to protect the passage of merchant vessels bound for the Israeli-occupied territories.

Bagheri Kani further said Israel’s atrocities in Gaza amount to a “crime against humanity and a full-scale genocide,” adding that all Gazans’ fault is that “they want to defend their …identity and dignity as a nation.”

He urged the international community to use everything at their disposal to take action against the “genocide” unfolding in Gaza, end the “cruel siege,” ease the flow of aid, and fight the forced displacement of the Gazans.

He made the remarks at a news conference in Japan where he is on a two-day visit that will discuss the promotion of ties.

Echoing the UN chief’s remarks, Bagheri Kani said the war in Gaza is a threat to international peace and security, saying the countries that maintain ties with Tel Aviv should “reconsider” the relations.

He also urged Japan and international parties to utilize their capacities to stop the genocide in Gaza.

The Iranian official stressed that the Palestinian people are the only party that must decide their future. “The Palestinian people don’t need a guardian,” he said as the US and its allies are discussing post-war Gaza governance plans.

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