Minister: Yemen’s Military Achievements to Stun Invaders
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Defense Minister of Yemen Mohammed Nasser al-Atifi said his country has achieved such military and defense equipment that it would spring a big surprise on the aggressors.
In comments on Saturday, Atifi said Yemen has made great advances in the military industry and developed sophisticated ordnance commensurate with the defense needs for protection of the country’s sovereignty and unity.
“We will astound the arrogant ones and the invaders of Yemeni nation with surprises that they would never expect,” the minister said, adding that his country has developed various missiles, rockets and armed and assault drones.
Yemen is now in the final stage of developing and manufacturing different air defense systems, Al-Masirah quoted him as saying.
The minister added, however, that despite the great military advances, Yemen favors peace in accordance with the Stockholm ceasefire agreement.
Atifi explained that the Yemeni forces withdrew from three of the country’s Red Sea ports unilaterally in order to save the citizens and protect the infrastructures of Hudaydah under the Sweden deal, but the occupiers and their mercenaries violated the ceasefire agreement.
Leading a coalition of its allies, Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall fugitive former president Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, who had resigned amid popular discontent and fled to Riyadh, and to crush the Houthi Ansarullah movement, which has been significantly helping the Yemeni army against the coalition for the past four years.
The imposed war initially consisted of an aerial campaign, but was later coupled with a naval blockade and the deployment of ground mercenaries to Yemen. Furthermore, armed militia forces loyal to Hadi, in line with invaders, launch frequent attacks against Yemeni people in regions held by Houthis.
The aggression is estimated to have left 56,000 Yemenis dead.
The Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.
A number of Western countries, the US, France, and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.
