Sanaa, Jan 16 (IANS) Yemen’s Houthi group has vowed to further deter Israel-linked ships from taking the Red Sea route, amid reports of a fresh attack on ships in the Gulf of Aden.
“We will continue to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to Israeli ports until the aggression and siege on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip stops,” Houthi-run al-Masirah TV quoted a source in the Houthi naval forces as saying on Monday.
Meanwhile, the Houthi TV channel reported that Mohammed Abdulsalam, chief negotiator of the group, also confirmed that attacks on “Israeli ships or those foreign ships heading to the Israeli ports” will continue, Xinhua news agency reported.
“US strikes (on Houthi camps in Yemen) and threats will not stop our military operations,” Abdulsalam added.
The remarks of the Houthis came hours after the British Maritime Trade Operations reported a new attack in the Gulf of Aden on Monday. It said investigations are ongoing and advised ships navigating the international shipping lanes near Yemen to take caution.
On Sunday, the US Central Command said its navy forces shot down an anti-ship missile fired from an area under Houthi control in Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.
The missile was heading toward a US battleship stationing in the Red Sea and intercepted by a fighter jet off Hodeidah, the US Central Command added in a statement on X.
The escalation came less than 24 hours after the Houthis claimed that one of their positions was bombed in a US-UK air strike. The US Central Command has not commented on the Houthi allegation.
–IANS
int/sha
