Yemen's Houthis say they’ve targeted 86 ships since start of Israel-Hamas war

SANAA, Yemen

Yemen’s Houthi group said Thursday that they have attacked 86 vessels in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean linked to Israel, the US and the UK since the Israel-Hamas war broke out last October.

In a speech on Al Masirah TV, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said the Yemeni Navy, which is aligned with the group, noted that it targeted nine ships this week.

Al-Houthi said that in the 10 operations conducted throughout the week, they used 37 ballistic missiles and drones, adding the group also carried out missile strikes on several targets in the southern Israeli city of Eilat.

Emphasizing the significant decrease in Israel's navigation in the Red Sea, he warned that operations will continue if attacks on the Gaza Strip persist.

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 more than 32,500 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.