Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced this Saturday that they have launched a large-scale attack using several naval missiles and 37 drones against US merchant and military ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Houthi spokesman Yehya Sarea said on social media that this is the Iranian-backed group’s largest operation since the war began in the Gaza Strip five months ago.
He said the group attacked the US ship Propel Fortune in the Gulf of Aden with “several suitable ship-based missiles.”
In the second operation, “he attacked several US warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with 37 drones.”
“Both operations successfully achieved their objectives, thank God,” a Houthi spokesman said, without elaborating, according to a report by the Spanish news agency EFE.
Sarea confirmed that attacks “will continue in response to the oppression of the Palestinian people and US-British aggression” against Yemen.
The spokesman did not tone down his threatening tone regarding shipping in the Red Sea, a strategic waterway for global trade.
The group “will continue military operations (…) until the aggression and blockade of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip ends,” he reiterated.
The Houthis’ statements came after US Central Command in the Middle East (Centcom) announced it had thwarted a “large-scale” attack by Iranian-backed rebels.
Centcom said 15 drones targeting coalition and merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden were shot down, without mentioning Propel Fortune.
The UK Maritime Operations Office (UKMTO) announced on Friday that a ship sailing off Aden reported two explosions “ahead” but the ship and crew were safe.
The Iran-backed Houthis have controlled much of northern and western Yemen since they took up arms against Yemen’s internationally recognized government in 2014.
Since November 19, they have launched dozens of attacks on merchant ships in the Red and Arabian Seas, as well as on Israel in response to the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
The rebels have repeatedly said that US and British bombing of their positions in recent weeks to protect shipping will not deter them from continuing military operations in the region.
Houthi attacks have intensified in recent weeks after the United States classified them as a terrorist group.
Rebel leader Abdelmalek al-Houthi on Thursday threatened “more surprises” and said the group had carried out 96 attacks on 61 ships in the past five months since the war began in the Gaza Strip.
Israel and Hamas have been at war since October 7, when militants from the Palestinian Islamist group carried out an unprecedented attack on Israeli soil.
The Houthis’ actions have forced many shipowners to suspend passage through the Red Sea shipping lanes.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), container traffic through the Red Sea fell by almost 30% over the year.
Before the war, between 12% and 15% of global traffic passed through the Red Sea, according to the European Union.
Yemen, at war for more than a decade, is considered the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.