Yemeni Minister of Fisheries Fahd Kafayen accused on Tuesday Iranian ships of harassing and threatening fishermen in the Yemeni waters in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

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.

Source » aawsat