The Houthi rebels in Yemen have announced the extension of their naval battle to the Indian Ocean to chase Israeli ships and prevent them from reaching the occupied ports in Palestine, in a show of support for the Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
In a televised speech, the leader of the Houthi movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, stated on Thursday evening that they would widen their targeting of Israeli ships to the Indian Ocean. He emphasized that their military operations would not be confined to the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
Observers view the shift of the naval battle to the Indian Ocean as a significant development, indicating unprecedented military capabilities in the Arab region, particularly amidst leaks about the Houthis possessing supersonic missiles.
Meanwhile, the Houthi military spokesperson, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, confirmed the execution of three attacks against three Israeli and American ships in the Indian Ocean using missiles and drones. However, he did not specify the date of the attacks.
Brigadier Saree warned, during a massive rally in Sanaa’s Seventy Square titled “Yemen in Ramadan: A Flood for Gaza’s Support,” that all Israeli ships or those heading to the occupied Palestinian ports should not pass through the Bab el-Raees route, as they would become legitimate targets for their missile strikes and drones.
The spokesperson for the Houthi movement, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, attributed their military escalation to “Israeli aggression against Gaza.” He stated in a tweet on X that “the escalation includes chasing Israeli ships in the Indian Ocean and preventing them from sailing towards Bab el-Raees.”
Abdul-Salam urged international shipping companies affiliated with Israel to take this escalation seriously, “and realize that any ship linked to Israel is vulnerable to Yemeni missiles.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Director of the Moral Guidance Department, Colonel Abdullah bin Amer, considered “expanding Yemeni operations as a victory for Gaza to include the Indian Ocean” as an important and qualitative development.
He stated in a tweet on X that “the decision was made after thorough study and practical experimentation in terms of implementation capability. Undoubtedly, this escalatory step comes in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza due to the blockade and Israeli aggression.”
Yemeni experts do not rule out the possibility of the Houthis possessing supersonic missiles. Abdul Salam Mohammed, head of the Dimensions Center for Studies, believes in a statement to Al Jazeera Net that Russia may have supplied the Houthis with these missiles in the context of its confrontation with the United States, which supports Ukraine against Russia.
