Yemen's Houthi group has issued a firm commitment to intensify actions against Israel-affiliated vessels navigating the Red Sea route, responding to reports of a recent assault on ships in the Gulf of Aden.
According to a statement from Houthi-run al-Masirah TV on Monday, a source within the Houthi naval forces declared, "We will persist in preventing Israeli ships or those en route to Israeli ports until the aggression and blockade on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip ceases."
Mohammed Abdulsalam, the chief negotiator for the group, echoed this sentiment, affirming that attacks on "Israeli ships or those foreign ships heading to Israeli ports" would persist despite US strikes on Houthi camps in Yemen. Abdulsalam emphasized that military operations would not be halted by threats or military actions.
The Houthi group's statements followed reports of a fresh attack in the Gulf of Aden on Monday, as disclosed by the British Maritime Trade Operations. Ongoing investigations prompted cautionary advice for ships traversing international shipping lanes near Yemen.
A day earlier, the US Central Command announced the interception of an anti-ship missile fired from an area under Houthi control in Hodeidah, Yemen's Red Sea port city. The missile was directed toward a US battleship stationed in the Red Sea and successfully intercepted by a fighter jet off Hodeidah.
This escalation occurred shortly after the Houthis claimed that one of their positions had been bombed in a US-UK airstrike, an assertion not addressed by the US Central Command. The situation continues to unfold, with heightened tensions in the region.
(With Agency Inputs)
