Houthis target 216 Israel-linked ships "in solidarity with Gaza"

Shafaq News/ On Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthis (Ansarallah) announced that they have targeted 216 cargo ships linked to Israel since the start of their support operations for Gaza, which has been under Israeli assault for over 14 months.

According to Al-Masirah TV, the Houthis began targeting Israel-linked ships on November 19, 2023, with an attack on the "Galaxy Leader" vessel owned by Tel Aviv.

"Since the beginning of the liberation battle, the Yemeni armed forces (affiliated with the Houthi group) have targeted 216 ships linked to Israel, in support of Gaza."

The report added that "these operations will continue until the aggression [Israel] stops and the blockade on Gaza is lifted."

In "solidarity with Gaza," which is facing Israeli extermination with US support, the Houthis are targeting Israeli or Israel-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean with missiles and drones. They are also carrying out missile and drone attacks on Israel, including operations targeting Tel Aviv.

A US-led coalition responded by conducting airstrikes on what it claims are "Houthi positions" across Yemen, in response to their maritime attacks, which have occasionally been met with retaliatory actions by the group.

With US and UK intervention in January 2024, the Houthis declared that "all American and British ships are now considered military targets."

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed and injured over 152,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, with more than 11,000 missing. The ongoing war has caused massive destruction and famine, claiming the lives of dozens of children and elderly people in one of the world's "worst humanitarian disasters."