Sanaa: The missile strike that targeted sensitive sites in occupied Jaffa was not merely a military response. Rather, it represents a strategic message from the Yemeni Armed Forces confirming the solidity of the "Unity of the Arenas" equation. Following the Israeli enemy's bombardment of the southern suburb of Beirut, the fulfillment of the promise came swiftly and decisively from the Axis of Resistance. This solidifies the reality that Yemeni support represents a core pillar in breaking the enemy's calculations, using a clear language of deterrence that accepts nothing less than reciprocity.
According to Yemen News Agency, the military spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces, Yahya Saree, announced a complete ban on Israeli navigation in the Red Sea, hours after the Israeli enemy bombed the southern suburb of Beirut. He stated in a statement that "the movements of the Israeli enemy have become a military target for our armed forces from the moment of the announcement of this statement." Saree emphasized that Yemen will meet "escalation with escalation" and that its military operations "will be escalating in tandem with events."
In this context, Abdullah al-Naami, a member of the Political Bureau of Ansarullah, clarified that the Yemeni Armed Forces did not close the Bab al-Mandab Strait, but instead announced a ban exclusively on the passage of Israeli ships, which will be military targets for the Yemeni forces, not international maritime traffic. Al-Naami confirmed to the LBCI channel that "the United States is still able to pass through the region, and nothing has been issued by it so far that warrants taking measures against it regarding this issue."
He pointed out that the maritime ban imposed on Israel is not limited to Bab al-Mandab, but also includes the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. He said: "The operations banning Israeli ships were imposed during the war period and the ban was lifted with the entry into force of the truce. However, this step led to the complete closure of the Port of Eilat and inflicted heavy economic losses on Israel."
He announced that Yemen possesses additional cards of escalation that have not yet been used, and they will be deployed gradually according to the level of Israeli escalation. Al-Naami said: "If Israel continues to target Beirut and the Lebanese people, the Yemeni Armed Forces will continue their operations, and will maintain the ban on Israeli navigation even if Iranian operations stop."
The Iranian response to the targeting of Beirut's southern suburb came quickly, followed by a Yemeni missile attack. The Yemeni Armed Forces announced their immediate entry into the battle of the Unity of the Arenas to support Lebanon, Palestine, Iran, and the Axis, and announced the closure of Bab al-Mandab to Israeli navigation. The Yemeni operations accompanying the Iranian operations met with widespread popular Yemeni satisfaction and support, being viewed as loyalty to the blood of the martyrs and a true deterrent to the Zionist criminal entity.
The Palestinian Mujahideen Movement blessed the Yemeni Armed Forces' announcement of the navigation ban on the Zionist enemy in the Red Sea, as well as the heroic operations carried out in support of the oppressed of our nation and in defiance of Zionist and American arrogance. The movement said in a statement that the Yemeni response, which intersects with the blessed Iranian response, is an extension of the authentic Yemeni stance that has supported the Palestinian people since the beginning of the unjust Zionist war against them.
For its part, Lebanese Hezbollah praised the Yemeni response within the framework of the Axis of Resistance. The party said that the appreciated support from the Ansarullah movement in Yemen comes within the framework of joint action to deter the Zionist entity and to make the US administration understand that its support for the Zionist aggression against our country will subvert all the agreements it seeks.
The Islamic Resistance Movement "Hamas" also praised the Iranian and Yemeni responses to the Israeli enemy, considering that they come within the context of confronting the continuous Israeli aggressions against Lebanon and the region. The movement said, in a press statement, that stopping the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and al-Quds, as well as against Lebanon, has become an urgent priority that requires urgent regional and international effort, stressing that "Israeli" policies represent the main source of tension in the region and its dangerous repercussions.
Mohammed Al-Fareh, a member of the Political Bureau of the "Ansarullah" movement, considered that Yemen's decision to "close Bab al-Mandab to navigation linked to the Israeli enemy is an expression of a political and strategic will confirming that Yemen is present in the battle to defend the nation." Al-Fareh pointed out, in a post on "X" platform, that "employing this strategic card in the service of the nation's causes and the interests of the Yemeni people confirms to everyone that the security of maritime corridors is no longer an exclusive right for America, the Israeli enemy, and their proxies in the region, but has rather become a national decision that falls within the framework of imposing Yemeni sovereignty over the strategic strait."
In the same context, writer Dirar Al-Tayeb stated on the Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni website that "Yemen's involvement in the escalation formed an additional surprise, as the Yemeni Armed Forces launched a missile batch at sensitive targets in occupied 'Jaffa' and also announced the re-imposition of a full naval blockade on Israeli navigation in the Red Sea." He considered that "this intervention gave more momentum and effectiveness to the 'Unity of the Arenas' equation, which represented the main title of the recent regional explosion. The Yemeni move reinforced the stance led by Iran, which dictates that any escalation and collapse of the ceasefire on one front will include the entire region."
The speed of the Yemeni intervention this time was remarkable and reflected, according to Al-Tayeb, the existence of extensive coordination among the parties of the Axis of Resistance and pre-planning to hold the regional initiative in confronting any escalation. This made Israel's position much worse; while Israeli reports were talking about diverging views between Netanyahu and Trump, the Axis of Resistance showed great cohesion and high readiness to deal with developments.
For his part, the advisor to the Yemeni Prime Minister, Hameed Abdulqader Antar, confirmed that Iran and its allied forces in the region possess influential leverage cards in confronting the "forces of arrogance," pointing out that current regional developments represent a pivotal stage in the course of the conflict in the region. Antar said in a statement to the Iraqi "Al-Maalouma" agency that "Iran, Hezbollah, and the Iraqi and Yemeni resistance adopt an approach based on the principles of sacrifice and steadfastness inspired by the revolution of Imam Hussain, and see the current stage as an existential battle and a fateful confrontation."
He emphasized that "ongoing developments will reveal during the coming phase the size of the influence possessed by the parties to the conflict in shaping the future of the region."