Houthis: We will continue to block ship passages in the Red Sea
The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen have announced that they will continue their military operations against Israel and their efforts to block the passage of Israeli ships through the Red Sea.
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According to the Houthi-controlled news agency SABA, the Houthi government issued a statement following an attack on their targets earlier this morning.
MESSAGE TO THE US AND UK
The statement read, "The attacks carried out by the US and the UK to support Israel will not deter us from our military operations against Israel and from blocking Israeli ships heading to occupied Palestinian ports."
The statement noted that the attacks carried out by the US and the UK would certainly not go "unpunished," arguing that these attacks demonstrate the impact of "Yemen's military operations against Israel and the blocking of ship passages."
US and British warplanes conducted airstrikes on several locations in the Yemeni cities of Sanaa, Hodeidah, and Taiz last night.
It was also reported this morning that the US had carried out an attack on Houthi-affiliated targets in Yemen. It was stated that the new attack, which targeted a radar facility, was smaller in scale than the previous one and was carried out unilaterally by the US.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE RED SEA
Recently, following the actions of the Houthis in Yemen against commercial ships in response to Israel's attacks on Gaza, numerous shipping companies have decided to suspend their voyages in the Red Sea.
The Pentagon announced on December 6, 2023, that they were in talks to establish an international "Maritime Task Force" against attacks by Houthi forces in Yemen on commercial ships in the Red Sea, and on December 18, 2023, they announced the creation of a multinational mission called "Operation Prosperity Guardian."
While the Houthi attacks endanger passages through the Suez Canal—which connects the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, offers the shortest route between Europe and Asia, and accounts for approximately 12 percent of global trade—the attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the successive decisions made by companies have increased concerns that a new "supply chain crisis" could begin in the global economy.