Yemen’s Houthis say they attacked 107 ships since November

SANAA, Yemen

Yemen’s Houthi group said Thursday that it had targeted 107 ships since the start of Israel’s deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the group’s leader, said that his fighters had carried out attacks against eight ships in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean and launched 33 ballistic missiles and winged drones this week.

“Some 107 ships have been targeted since November involving 606 ballistic missiles and drones,” he added in a televised speech.

The Houthis have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, where nearly 34,600 Palestinians have been killed in the deadly Israeli offensive since last October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

With tensions escalating due to US-UK airstrikes against Houthi sites in Yemen, the group declared it considered all American and British ships to be legitimate military targets.

The Red Sea is one of the world's most frequently used sea routes for oil and fuel shipments.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala