IRGC Navy chief: Yemenis developing own weapons, not taking orders from any side

The commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy has hailed Yemen's retaliatory operations in support of Palestinians, emphasizing that the country's forces are developing their own weapons and not taking orders from any foreign side.

“Yemen is an independent country. They manufacture their own weapons and military equipment with their own hands, and do not take orders from anyone. Yemenis are a zealous nation and support Gaza because they are witnessing the Zionist carnage,” Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said Thursday.

His remarks in an interview with Yemen’s al-Masirah television came as as Yemeni forces launched a fresh ballistic missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport in the central part of the Israeli-occupied territories.

Tangsiri underlined that the purpose of allegations that Yemen is taking orders from Iran is merely to insult the powerful people of Yemen and undermine their status.

“I commend the honorable resilience of the Yemeni nation and their great leader [Abdul-Malik al-Houthi] in support of the oppressed Palestinian people. Yemenis have proven they are prepared to stand out against rebels and insurgents under any circumstances,” Tangsiri said.

The IRGC Navy chief noted that Yemenis have not surrendered to oppressors despite the eight-year unequal Saudi-led war.

“Yemenis are standing courageously against numerous countries and superpowers. These countries could not impose their wills upon them," he said.

Yemeni forces confront US warships for ‘several hours,’ strike Israeli military targets near Tel Aviv

Yemeni forces engage US warships in the Red Sea for several hours and strike Israeli military positions in response to continued American and Israeli aggression.

Tangsiri also reiterated Iran's readiness to fight back after US President Donald Trump recently threatened the Islamic Republic with "dire" consequences if Yemen's forces continue their operations.

He said while Iran does not seek war, "we will fight to the last against anyone who attacks us and we will annihilate them".

"The price of surrender is more prohibitive than war," Tangsiri said. 

"We possess the most sophisticated military hardware to make our point. The fate of any destroyer that dares to attack us will be sinking,” he added.

Under Houthi's command, Yemeni forces initiated strikes on critical Israeli targets in October 2023.

The operations came in response to the Israeli regime’s launch of a US-backed war of genocide against the Gaza Strip alongside a simultaneous severe restriction of the flow of essential aid, including food and medicine, into the Palestinian territory.

The strikes, along with operations targeting Israeli ships transporting military hardware and commercial goods to the occupied Palestinian territories, inflicted substantial economic damage on the regime.

The forces stopped the strikes against Israeli and Israeli-linked vessels after implementation of a ceasefire agreement between the regime and the Gaza-based resistance movement Hamas, but resumed the operations when Tel Aviv began routinely violating the deal.

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