Yemen's Houthis vow to keep targeting Israeli ships despite US-led coalition

ANKARA

The Yemeni Houthi group vowed on Tuesday to continue its attacks on Israeli ships passing through nearby waters, despite the announcement of a US-led international coalition against it in the Red Sea.

Senior Houthi member Mohammad Abdulsalam said in a statement on X that the attacks aim to support Palestinians as they face Israel's "aggression and siege" in Gaza.

He added that the Yemeni operations were not a challenge to another party, but stressed that any side seeking to expand the conflict "must bear the consequences of its actions."

"The US-formed coalition is to protect Israel and a militarization of the (Red) Sea without any justification, and it won't stop Yemen from continuing its legitimate operations in support of Gaza," the senior Houthi member said.

"As the US allowed itself to back Israel ... the peoples of the region have full legitimacy to back the Palestinian people," Abdulsalam said. "Yemen has taken it upon itself to stand by the Palestinian right."

On Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the creation of a multinational mission under the name, Operation Prosperity Guardian to counter Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

Austin described the move as "an important new multinational security initiative under the umbrella of the Combined Maritime Forces and the leadership of its Task Force 153, which focuses on security in the Red Sea."

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

​​​​​​​Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have significantly stepped up their involvement in the current conflict in the Gaza Strip by targeting vessels in the southern Red Sea and warning of attacking all Israel-bound ships.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara