Amid rising tensions in the Red Sea and the region due to the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza since last October, the Yemeni Houthi group has reiterated its commitment to continue targeting ships headed towards Israel. Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthis, stated in a speech that the group is fully prepared to target any ship heading to Israel, criticizing the United States and the United Kingdom for involving themselves in the situation. He also claimed that the failure of the US and UK in the Red Sea mission is evident from Washington’s alleged attempt to seek China’s assistance in mediating with the Iran-backed Yemeni group to halt their operations.
US officials reportedly said last week that Washington asked Beijing to urge Tehran to restrain the Houthis, who have been attacking commercial ships in this globally significant maritime corridor. Al-Houthi condemned Israel’s membership in the United Nations as disgraceful and against justice. He noted that voices in the Western populations are starting to reject their governments’ policies towards Gaza.
Regarding other regional conflicts, al-Houthi mentioned that Hezbollah’s daily strikes are troubling Israelis on the southern Lebanese front and referred to operations by what he called “the Islamic resistance in Iraq,” hinting at Iran-aligned armed factions, including Hezbollah brigades, which recently announced a halt to their attacks against US bases in Iraq and Syria.
Since November 19, 2023, over a month after the outbreak of the Israeli war in Gaza, the Iran-aligned Houthi group, which controls the most populous areas of Yemen, has launched dozens of attacks with explosive drones and missiles on cargo ships in this vital shipping lane. These attacks have disrupted international shipping and slowed trade between Asia and Europe, fueling fears of supply bottlenecks. The expansion of the Gaza war, which began on October 7 and continues, has also raised concerns among major powers about regional escalation, prompting the United States and the United Kingdom to strike Houthi targets and leading Washington to re-designate the Houthis as a “terrorist group.”
