SANAA, Yemen 

The US exploits events in the Red Sea to fabricate an international crisis and blame the Houthis for its consequences, the official spokesman for the Yemen-based group said Sunday

Mohammed Abdul-Salam said on X that there are “American attempts to mislead public opinion about what is happening in the Red Sea.”

“In the face of these attempts, we reiterate our confirmation that the target (of the group's operations) is Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine,” he said.

“We urge all countries to be reassured by the Yemeni position and not allow themselves to be victims of American deception.”

The Houthis have said they permit all international ships to pass through the Bab al-Mandab Strait except those heading to Israel and that the US is the one preventing ships from traversing the waterway, creating an artificial crisis.

Abdul-Salam also called on “the United States to stop evading responsibility for ending the Israeli aggression on Gaza and to refrain from creating unnecessary crises.”

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala