Yemen’s SABA news agency reports that security services busted a US–Israeli spy ring, Force 400, arresting members involved in espionage and sabotage.

SABA news agency claimed on May 6 that the Yemeni security services disclosed they had recently detained several spies for the US and Israel.

The security services declared that the spies were hired to operate for the United States and Israel, adding that they are members of an intelligence unit known as Force 400, which is headed by spy Ammar Afash, who is wanted.

According to security agencies, the detained spies admitted to conducting operations to track drones, missile launch sites, and Yemeni military vessels’ whereabouts. They also sent Force 400 their coordinates so that US and UK jets could target them.

In addition to material losses, the spies’ acts resulted in the deaths and injuries of other military personnel.

As reported by GreatGameIndia earlier, Yemen’s armed forces, led by Ansarallah, have declared their intent to attack any ship associated with Israel. This has led to a naval blockade on Israel, impacting the Israeli economy and potentially escalating tensions.

Similarly, the security agencies attested to the fact that, based on their admissions, the spies were assigned to conduct acts of sabotage, which included destroying and setting fire to armed and security force vehicles.

To distract the armed forces trying to counter the ongoing US and UK bombing campaign, the spies were also charged with preparing to conduct assassination operations utilizing silencer pistols and explosive devices.

The security services reaffirmed their commitment to exerting every effort to preserve Yemen’s domestic security and thwart attempts by operatives of the US and Israel to enter the nation.

According to SABA, Yemen has been cautioned by Sanaa not to use mercenaries to destabilize the nation and exert pressure on it to stop supporting the Palestinians in Gaza.

In reaction to Israel’s October-started slaughter in Gaza, the Ansarallah-led Yemeni armed forces started focusing on Israeli-affiliated ships in the Red Sea in November.

In response, the US and UK launched a bombing campaign to strike Yemeni forces on land and at sea, as well as sent ships to the Red Sea to defend Israeli ships.

The “fourth phase” of escalation against Israel and in favor of Palestine was declared by the Yemeni military on May 3. They threatened to strike ships with ties to Israel “anywhere within our reach.” In a statement, Sanaa emphasized that the strikes, which have effectively prevented Israel from accessing the Red Sea, will spread to the Mediterranean. The Israeli economy is already being negatively impacted by the Yemeni armed forces’ pro-Palestine operations, which they extended earlier this year to encompass the Indian Ocean.

The Ansarallah-led government’s statement also forbids Tel Aviv from attacking the southern Gazan city of Rafah, threatening to punish “severely” any ships that are “linked to the provision of supplies and entry into the Palestinian ports under occupation” starting immediately. These ships will not be permitted to “sail through the area of military operations, regardless of their destination,” the statement emphasizes.

The announcement of the escalation was made in front of the hundreds of thousands of Yemenis who continue to congregate in the capital each week to demonstrate their solidarity for the Palestinians in Gaza by military forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree.