Houthis Announce Widespread Attacks on Israeli Vessels as Tensions Escalate

On Thursday, Abdul Malik al Huti, the leader of the Houthis, announced that Yemeni rebels would not limit their attacks against Israeli vessels to the Red Sea region but would extend them to the extent of their capabilities. During a televised speech reported by the Yemeni newspaper ‘Al Thawrah’, he warned that ships of companies transporting goods to Israel would be attacked anywhere within the range of the Yemeni Army’s capabilities. He also warned those collaborating with Israel to avoid using Mediterranean routes to reach Israeli ports.

The rebel leader emphasized that Yemen wanted their message to reach all countries and for everyone to understand that their measures were humanitarian and moral. Al Huti called on the international community to increase pressure on Israel to stop what he described as “massacres” in the Gaza Strip. As long as Israeli aggression, siege, and incursion into Gaza continued, Al Huti stated that it was necessary to escalate the fighting on the Lebanese, Iraqi, and Houthi fronts. He described the fourth stage of escalation as important because it targeted the ships of all companies transporting goods to Israel. Al Huti predicted that Israel and its partners would fail to protect their ships in the Mediterranean just as they failed in previous theaters of operations.