Yemen Ready to Counter Israeli Military Presence on Occupied Islands: Expert
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A Yemeni military expert voiced his country’s readiness to fight off the military presence of Israel on the islands of Yemen and even attack the Zionist regime’s bases in west of the Mediterranean Sea.
In an interview with Tasnim, Yemeni expert of strategic and military affairs, General Aziz Rashed, warned of the dire consequences of normalization of ties with Israel for regional countries after the UAE and Bahrain’s recent decision to establish diplomatic ties with the Zionist regime.
Israel’s purpose in normalizing relations with the Arab states is military presence on the occupied islands of Yemen, particularly Socotra, and controlling the ships moving to Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz, he added.
The general also said that the Yemeni forces are prepared to thwart the military presence of Zionists on the Yemeni islands, saying the attacks may target the enemy in Tel Aviv or its military bases in west of the Mediterranean Sea.
The UAE is also within the range of Yemen’s missiles, Rashed warned.
The expert said Yemen’s “strategic military capabilities” have changed the regional equations, stressing that the Yemeni forces would surprise the enemy with new weapons.
He highlighted the extensive military, political and economic damages that Saudi Arabia has suffered in the military campaign against Yemen, saying Riyadh, however, is unable to end the aggression as it is a puppet of the US.
Rashed went on to say that details of a recent missile strike on targets in the Saudi capital will be unveiled at the appropriate time.
Last week, the Yemeni forces used the homegrown Zolfaqar ballistic missile and four Samad-3 drones to hit targets in Riyadh.
Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said the Yemeni forces will keep up their retaliatory raids against sensitive and strategic targets on Saudi soil as long as Riyadh and its allies fail to end their military campaign and siege against Yemen.
The attack on Riyadh followed four consecutive days of Yemeni air raids against Abha International Airport located near Saudi Arabia’s southwestern border with Yemen.
Since early 2015, Riyadh and a coalition of its vassal states have been engaged in a military campaign against Yemen in a futile attempt to reinstall a Saudi-friendly government there.
Since then, over 100,000 people have been killed, according to the US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED).