The military spokesman of the Houthi group, Brigadier General Yahya Saree( Al-Jazeera)
The Houthi group has vowed to target every cargo ship heading to Israel, regardless of its nationality and who operates it, in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which is subjected to Israeli aggression that has so far led to the death of more than 17,<> Palestinians, most of them women and children.
After launching attacks against Israeli ships in the Red Sea, the Houthi group announced on Saturday that it was expanding its operations to include every ship heading to Israel, regardless of its nationality.
The group's military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, said that "any ships heading to the Zionist entity will be a legitimate target."
"We announce that ships bound for the Zionist entity will not pass through if food and medicine do not enter the Gaza Strip," he said.
Saree warned "all ships and companies from dealing with Israeli ports."
The group controls Sanaa and Hodeidah on the Red Sea, as well as several governorates in northern and central Yemen.
Previous attacks
The Houthi group recently targeted Israeli ships, in solidarity with the Gaza Strip in the face of the occupation war that has been going on for more than two months.
On November 19, the Houthis took control of the Israeli ship Galaxy Leader, taking her and her crew to the Yemeni coast.
On the 25th of the same month, a Yemeni drone attacked the Klandar ship owned by the Israeli company Zem. Two days ago, a Yemeni drone bombed two Israeli ships in the Red Sea.
The group said in a statement that "the Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in Gaza stops."
These operations have forced Israeli ships to take more expensive shipping routes around Africa.
International shipping lines said these routes could add 18 days to the time it took Israeli ships before Houthi attacks.
Source: Al Jazeera + Reuters