The Houthis have issued a renewed warning of strikes against ships heading for or associated with Israel, including those in the Mediterranean, as they claim victory against the US Navy in the Red Sea.
According to the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency, the fourth phase of their pro-Palestine campaign will involve targeting all ships bound for Israel within range of their drones and missiles. They asserted that the US, UK, and other Western navies were unable to counter their attacks.
“The fourth phase demonstrates the Yemeni armed forces’ striking strength against the world’s most powerful naval forces, including the American, British, and European fleets, as well as the Israeli navy,” SABA stated.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea announced on Friday that strikes against Israel-related ships would be expanded to the Mediterranean. He threatened to escalate attacks against any companies engaging with Israel if it carried out its planned assault on the Palestinian Rafah.
Since November, the Houthis have launched numerous ballistic missiles and drones at commercial and navy vessels in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. They claim these attacks are aimed only at ships connected to Israel to pressure it to lift its siege on the Gaza Strip.
They have also targeted US and UK commercial and navy ships in international waters off Yemen following strikes by these countries against Houthi-controlled areas.
Houthi information minister Dhaif Allah Al-Shami claimed on Saturday that the US was compelled to withdraw its aircraft carrier and other naval ships from the Red Sea after failing to counter the attacks. He stated that new offensives would soon commence against Israeli ships in the Mediterranean.
“They failed miserably. Yemeni missiles and drones defeated the US Navy, prompting its military vessels to retreat from our seas,” Al-Shami said in an interview with Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen TV news channel.
Yemeni specialists have disputed Houthi claims of possessing military weapons capable of reaching Israeli ships in the Mediterranean. Brig. Gen. Mohammed Al-Kumaim, a Yemeni military analyst, told Arab News on Sunday that the Houthis could only carry out such attacks with advanced weaponry.
He suggested that the Houthis were expanding their campaign against ships to mitigate growing public resentment in areas under their control, especially after failing to pay public employees and provide services.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
