Yemen: Houthis vow military ‘surprises’ in Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthis have vowed to introduce military “surprises” in their Red Sea operations, the group’s leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi warned in a televised speech on Thursday, Reuters reported.

“Our military operations will continue and advance and we have surprises that our enemies will not expect at all,” Al-Houthi declared.

He added that the group has targeted 54 ships with 384 missiles and drones since the start of their operations in the Red Sea on 19 November, 2023, in support of the Gaza Strip.

Regarding the US and British strikes on Yemen, he said they did not affect the group’s military capabilities, pointing out: “The enemies’ statements have acknowledged their failure to destroy [Yemen’s] capabilities or limit the impact or momentum of these capabilities.”

In November, the Houthis started targeting Israeli-owned and Israel-bound ships in support of the besieged Gaza Strip, which has been facing a devastating war launched by Israel with the backing of the US and Britain.

The group announced their operations will only end when Israel ends its war on Gaza.

The group’s Red Sea attacks have disrupted global shipping, forced firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa and stoked fears that the Israeli war could spread to destabilise the broader Middle East.

In January, the US and Britain began striking Houthi targets in Yemen, prompting the group to include US and British vessels in their operations.

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