US guided-missile destroyer, USS Mason (DDG 87) in the Gulf of Oman. Photo: US Navy/file photo.
The spokesperson for the Yemen Armed Forces (YAF), Brigadier General Yahya Saree, confirmed that an attack has been carried out against the destroyer ship USS Mason, belonging to the US military deployed in the region.
General Saree made this comment on Wednesday, May 15, when he added that the Yemeni Armed Forces also carried out an attack against the Destiny ship, a merchant ship heading towards the Israeli entity.
The YAF decided to target the Destiny due to the commercial vessel’s violation of the Yemeni measure that prohibits the transit through Yemen’s territorial waters of ships heading towards the Zionist colony.
بيان القوات المسلحة اليمنية بشأن استهداف المدمرة الأمريكية "ميسون" في البحر الأحمر، وكذا استهداف السفينة "Destiny " في البحر الأحمر أيضا بعد انتهاكها قرار حظر مرور السفن إلى موانئ فلسطين المحتلة. 15_05_2024م
pic.twitter.com/eQI50AcWSa— أمين حيان Ameen Hayyan (@ameenhayan) May 15, 2024
The Ansarallah spokesperson explained that the Destiny deceived the YAF, claiming it was traveling “to an unaffiliated port.” However, according to Saree, it was sailing toward Eliat, an important Israeli port.
Meanwhile, regarding the US destroyer ship (a ship designed to escort larger ships in fleets, convoys, or battle groups), the YAF spokesperson announced that the ship was targeted with missiles and that it was hit by at least one of them.
Other media outlets claim that the attack against the USS Mason occurred two days ago and that the ship “managed to intercept the attacking missiles.” However, so far, US authorities have not commented on the matter or provided evidence of this.
Yemeni attacks have hampered US and Israeli trade through the vital corridor that provides access to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. However, in recent days, attacks on boats that cross this route have decreased.
This slowdown, according to the US, is due to the US “air attacks and interceptions of Yemeni projectiles” that have caused a decrease in the Yemeni weapon supplies.
Strategic Escalation: Yemen’s Military Operations Signal a New Phase in the Red Sea
Yemen adopted the policy of targeting ships bound for “Israel’ in response to the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip launched on October 7, 2023, following the success of the Palestinian Resistance’s Operation Al Aqsa Flood.
On May 8, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) published an infographic reporting 34,844 Palestinian deaths so far. Of the 24,686 dead who had been identified as of 30 April, 10,006 are men, 4,959 women, 7,797 children, and 1,924 elderly. The infographic used the Gaza Ministry of Health figures and included a note clarifying that it has not included the more than 10,000 people reportedly missing or under the rubble throughout Gaza Strip.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
