Houthis announce drone strikes on US, Israel ships

Yemen’s Houthi group announced that it had attacked two US and Israeli ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean with drones, stressing that “the two operations successfully achieved their goals.”

In a statement issued late yesterday, the group said: “In solidarity with the Palestinian people and in response to the American-British aggression against our country, the Yemeni Army’s naval forces carried out a military operation targeting the American Maersk Yorktown ship in the Gulf of Aden, with a number of naval missiles.” The strike “was accurate,” the group added.

“The other operation targeted the Israeli MSC Veracruz ship in the Indian Ocean with a number of drones. Both operations achieved their goals.”

The Houthis confirmed that they will continue “preventing Israeli navigation or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red and Arabian Seas, as well as in the Indian Ocean, until the aggression is stopped and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”

They indicated that they are continuing “to take further military measures against all hostile targets in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean, in defence of Yemen and in affirmation of the position of support for the oppressed Palestinian people.”

According to US Central Command, however, the Houthi strike on the Maersk ship was intercepted and no injuries or damage were reported.

Since November, the Houthis have launched dozens of operations using missiles and drones against ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. They say that these operations are in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

In response, the US formed a multinational coalition aimed at protecting shipping in the Red Sea, and since mid-January, it has carried out repeated strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. The UK also participated in many of these strikes.

Earlier, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi announced that 37 people were killed in more than 400 air strikes launched by the US and UK on Yemen since the beginning of the year.

The American-led coalition was launched on the day that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began hearing South Africa’s case against Israel in which it claims that the occupation state is carrying out genocide in Gaza. Analysts have said it was an effort to distract attention away from the trial.

READ: Yemen’s Houthis call for escalation in operations in the Red, Arab seas