TEHRAN (Iran News) –“The United States is practicing outright deception. Washington built a floating pier off Gaza, claiming it was aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to the territory. It is, however, used a tool to occupy Gaza and support the Zionist enemy’s military,” al-Houthi said in a televised speech broadcast live from the Yemeni capital Sana’a on Thursday.

“The US defines occupation as liberation, and murder and genocide as assistance.”

The floating pier has no effective role in the arrival of aid deliveries in Gaza and meeting the basic needs of the Palestinian population there, Houthi said, adding the Americans removed the pier from its anchored position in Gaza and towed it to the Port of Ashdod in the occupied territories at the height of famine in Gaza.

“The Americans continue to openly support the Zionist enemy. Bombs and military logistics reach the [Israeli] occupying forces via air to kill Palestinians. The US is preparing to dispatch 50 F-15 fighter aircraft to support the occupation regime in continuing its genocide in Gaza,” the Ansarullah chief said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Houthi pointed to the heavy casualties of the Israeli military in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, saying, “Any time that the enemy wants to turn the tide in its favor, it suffers a great deal of losses.”

“The growing number of casualties within the ranks of the Israeli military compared to previous months shows that Gaza-based resistance fighters are performing much better than before. Despite a tight siege, unrelenting destruction and generous support of the United States and Britain for Israel, resistance fighters are still steadfast and firm. The steadfastness of fighters in Gaza has driven the enemy to the point that its leaders have acknowledged such a fact,” he said.

Commenting on the cases brought against Israel at the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, Houthi said the entire international community expects concrete legal actions against the usurping regime.

“Israel does not care about the decisions of the Security Council, the United Nations and international courts of law. Nevertheless, we must know that any condemnation will upset the regime,” he said.

Houthi praised retaliatory strikes by the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah against Israeli military positions in the northern side of the 1948 occupied territories, stating that the attacks are “painful” for the Tel Aviv regime.

“The Americans are trying to lessen the problems of the Israeli enemy on the Lebanese front; but their pressures cannot weaken the position of Hezbollah,” he said.

The Ansarullah leader also praised Hezbollah’s release of surveillance drone footage showing important infrastructure and military sites in northern Israeli-occupied territories, stressing that the measure terrified the Zionist regime.

Houthi then pointed to the maritime operations that Yemeni naval units are conducting in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war, stating that the forces have so far targeted 153 US, British and Israel vessels.

“Among the notable operations of the week was the missile strike on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in the northern tip of the Red Sea for the third time. One of the latest major developments was the sinking of the Tutor bulk carrier. Yemeni forces managed to board the cargo ship, bomb it and seriously damage it by an unmanned surface vessel (USV),” he said.

The Ansarullah chief said the impact of Yemeni naval operations against US and British interests are considerable, stating that enemies have recognized their inability to prevent the retaliatory strikes.

“Americans have acknowledged that their naval forces are facing their most daunting challenges since World War II,” Houthi said.