Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said Tuesday they would not stop attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, despite the United States announcing the creation of a new maritime protection force.
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Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti, a senior official in the Houthi group, said on the social media network: “Even if America mobilizes the whole world, our military operations will not stop… no matter what sacrifices it costs us.”
He added that these attacks will not stop “unless Israel stops its crimes and food, medicine and fuel reach the besieged population” in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Bukhaiti was responding to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s announcement on Monday of a coalition of ten countries to stop Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships crossing the Red Sea.
“The recent escalation of reckless Houthi attacks from Yemen threatens the free flow of commerce, puts the lives of innocent sailors at risk, and contravenes international law,” the Pentagon chief said on Monday.
“That is why today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian,” he added. Mr. Austin said that this coalition includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.
Yemeni rebels launched a series of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea, in response to the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, it claimed responsibility for attacking two ships in the Red Sea, including the Norwegian ship M/T Swan Atlantic.
The shipping giants have abandoned the entry or exit point to the Red Sea, the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa, and through which 40% of global trade passes.
