On November 13, Minister of Fisheries of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, Fahd Kafayen, accused Iranian warships of harassing and threatening fishermen in the Yemeni waters in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia’s Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported.
The newspaper went further with a group of common Saudi accusations against Iran and the Yemeni movement Ansar Allah (also known as the Houthis):
“The international community must assume its responsibilities in halting the Iranian violations and its meddling in Yemeni affairs, he said while overseeing the delivery of 100 fishing boats in the Shabwa region.
He listed the violations committed by the Iran-backed Houthis against Yemeni fishermen, such as kidnappings and preventing them from carrying out their jobs.
International reports had revealed that Iranian ships in the Red Sea were likely providing logistic support to the Houthis, including smuggling arms through fishing boats to the port of Hodeidah.
Kafayen stressed that his ministry will continue to deliver fishing boats to fishermen whose vessels were destroyed in natural disasters and the Houthi-led war.
Observers said that the Houthis have sought since the beginning of their coup to seize fishing boats to transform them into war vessels to threaten marine navigation.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni coalition that monitors human rights violations (RASD) condemned the Houthis for seizing houses in Hodeidah, which they then transformed into military barracks.
It also accused the militias of using citizens as human shields and condemned them for expelling patients and doctors from the emergency ward of the May 22 Hospital.”
These accusations are an integral part of the ongoing Saudi propaganda campaign to justify its advance on the Yemeni port city of al-Hudaydah.
Forces loyal to the Saudi-UAE-led coalition are actively developing their advance on al-Hudaydah from the eastern and southern directions. They have already outflanked the al-Hudaydah airport, but faced significant difficulties with encircling the city itself. The situation is developing.
Click to see the ful-size image
