New Threat from Yemeni Houthis: We Will Target Israeli Ships in the Mediterranean

Yemeni Houthi rebels have announced a new threat, stating that they will soon expand their attacks on Israeli ships to the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Times of Israel, Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthi rebels, said in a televised speech on Friday that from now on, they will target any ships heading towards Israeli ports in any area within their range, even in the Mediterranean Sea. The Houthis, supported by the Islamic Republic, targeted a container ship named 'MSC Orion' in a drone attack in the Indian Ocean last week. According to maritime data, the MSC Orion, flying the Portuguese flag, was traveling between Portugal and Oman, and its registered owner is Zodiac Maritime, a company partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. The Islamist militant group, which controls parts of Yemen with the support of the Iranian government, began attacking cargo ships and warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden a few weeks after the outbreak of war between Israel and the 'terrorist' group Hamas, under the pretext of supporting the people of Gaza. These attacks are primarily carried out using drones and anti-ship ballistic missiles, but many of their attacks have failed, with only a few being successful. With the escalation of these attacks supported by the Islamic Republic last winter, U.S.-led coalition forces targeted Houthi positions in Yemen, destroying a significant portion of their infrastructure. The Biden administration, which had removed the Houthis from the list of terrorist organizations shortly after taking office in January 2021, re-designated the group as 'specially designated global terrorists' on February 16, 2023. A report from the European Union mentions the security of 68 ships in the Red Sea and the neutralization of Houthi attacks. The Islamic Republic claims to have freed the crew of the 'MSC Aries' ship. An Iraqi group supported by Tehran claims to have launched several missiles at Israel. The Houthis claimed to have targeted two ships and an American warship, which CENTCOM denied. The Houthis also claimed to have attacked four vessels in the Gulf of Aden. The Israeli Navy's air defense has 'for the first time' shot down a drone.