Houthis limit attacks to Israeli ships in Red Sea
Shafaq News/ Yemen's Ansarallah (Houthis) will limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israeli-linked ships, coinciding with the implementation of a ceasefire in Gaza, the Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOOC) reported on Monday.
The HOCC, which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, stated via an email sent to shipping industry officials, that “sanctions” on vessels owned by the US or UK and those sailing under their flags would be suspended, barring aggression against Yemen by these nations.
“We affirm that in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom ... the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor.”
The HOCC further noted that the attacks on Israeli-linked ships would cease “upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement.”
Last week, the Houthis leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, reiterated that the group would continue monitoring the ceasefire's implementation. “If the Israeli massacres continue, we will continue our operations,” he stated.
“At any stage in which the aggression retreats from the agreement, we will be ready to provide military support to our Palestinian brothers.”
Notably, many of the world's biggest shipping companies have suspended voyages through the Red Sea and diverted their vessels around southern Africa to avoid being attacked.
Furthermore, the Houthis, who have intensified attacks against Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea since November 2023, claim these actions are in solidarity with Gaza. In response, Washington and London launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in early 2024, leading to significant casualties and infrastructure damage.
The Houthis have since declared all American and British ships as military targets, extending their operations to vessels in the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and other areas within their reach.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense in Sanaa reported that more than 211 commercial ships, belonging to the US, Israel, or the UK, had been targeted, with several of them sunk.
On January 10, 2025, the Israeli military announced that it had intercepted approximately 40 missiles and 320 drones from Yemen since the start of the war on Gaza.
