The Houthi rebels of Yemen, supported by Iran, assured this Tuesday that will not stop attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, despite the fact that the United States has announced a new maritime protection alliance.
“Even if the United States manages to mobilize the entire world, our military operations will not stop (…) whatever sacrifices we have to make,” rebel leader Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said in a message posted on the social network (old Twitter) .
According to al-Bukhaiti, The attacks will only be suspended “if Israel puts an end to its crimes and begin to reach the blocked population” in the Gaza Strip.
The Houthi leader’s statement came after US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced on Monday a coalition of 10 countries to prevent Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea.
“The recent escalation of reckless attacks by Yemen’s Houthis threatens the free flow of trade”It endangers the lives of innocent sailors and violates international law,” the Pentagon chief said Monday.
The alliance, called Operation Prosperity Guardian, includes the United States, United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain, Austin said.
Yemeni rebels have launched a series of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea in response to Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday they claimed responsibility for the attack on two ships in the Red Sea, including the Norwegian M/T Swan Atlantic.
The shipping giants have abandoned the entry and exit point of the Red Sea, the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa and through which 40% of world trade passes.
Last week, International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Kitack Lim called on member states to take joint action against maritime terrorism.
“Recent reports of threats to commercial shipping in the Red Sea are extremely alarming and unacceptable. Commercial shipping should never be a collateral victim of geopolitical conflicts,” said the leader of the organization that is part of the UN, in a statement. sent to Lusa.
“Any attack on commercial shipping is contrary to international maritime law, including laws that protect freedom,” said the secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Advocating that “ships, cargo and seafarers must always be protected”, Kitack Lim called on States to work together “to ensure safe and unimpeded global navigation everywhere, as a prerequisite for maintaining the chains of global supply”.
The Houthis, who control the Yemeni capital and other regions, are part of what they describe as an “axis of resistance” against Israel, along with groups such as the Islamic resistance movement Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, backed by Iran.
The war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, when the Islamist group attacked, by surprise and with unprecedented force, Israeli territory, killing, according to Tel Aviv authorities, 1,400 people and taking more than 200 hostages.
In retaliation, Israel bombed Gaza and blocked the entry of essential goods such as water, medicine and fuel.
Although both sides made a truce for a few days to exchange prisoners and access humanitarian aid, Palestinian authorities report counting more than 15,000 deaths on their side.
Source: TSF
