Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi: We prevented ships linked to Israel from passing through the Gulf of Aden during the past week (social networking sites)

Today, Tuesday, the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) in Yemen threatened a major and more painful escalation against Israel in response to the targeting of Rafah, noting at the same time that American and British fighters launched raids on Hodeidah Governorate on the Red Sea coast.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Houthi government said, "We strongly condemn the international silence towards the war crimes and genocide practiced by the Zionist entity against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, which are escalating on a daily basis, the latest of which is the threat to commit a massacre against the displaced in the city of Rafah."

The statement added, "We warn the Zionist entity against a major escalation in the Yemeni response to its attacks in Rafah, and the transfer of the military scene to higher and more painful levels for Tel Aviv."

Earlier on Tuesday, the group's leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said that the group prevented ships linked to Israel from passing through the Gulf of Aden during the past week.

Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi said - in a speech broadcast on television - "The Americans and the British failed to secure the passage of any ship heading to Israel. They were unable to protect these ships. They can no longer protect even the American-British ships, and this is a real and major victory for us."

Abdul Malik Al-Houthi added, "The Israeli, American, and British program seeks to liquidate and end the Palestinian issue... Our operations in the Red Sea are legitimate operations to support the people of Gaza and lift the siege and starvation imposed on them."

American and British forces launched several waves of strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen (Getty)

American-British raids

On the other hand, the Houthi group announced, on Tuesday, that American and British fighter jets launched raids on Hodeidah Governorate on the Red Sea coast (west).

Al-Masirah TV, the Houthi spokesman, said on its website that "the hostile US-British airstrikes targeted various areas of the Al-Tuhayta District, south of Hodeidah."

The channel did not clarify the sites targeted by the bombing and whether it caused human or material losses, while no American or British statement was issued regarding it.

On Monday, the Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said that the group’s forces targeted the American ship “Star Air” in the Red Sea with appropriate naval missiles, and that the hit was accurate and direct.

Since last November, the Houthi group has continued its attacks in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden against Israeli ships or those linked to Israel, before these attacks included American and British ships.

The attacks prompted many companies to stop crossing the Red Sea and prefer a longer and more expensive route around the African continent.

Source: Agencies