Houthis to continue Red Sea operations during Ramadan

Leader of Yemen’s Houthis, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, said yesterday the group will continue its retaliatory operations in support of the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Speaking in a televised speech from the Yemeni capital, Sana’a,  Al-Houthi said that Yemeni naval forces will continue their operations in solidarity with the Palestinians, adding: “If certain developments arise during the month of Ramadan, [the Houthis] will keep up with them.”

“What cruelty leads a person to ignore a great and terrible tragedy, genocide, and the cries of children and women for help?” he asked in reference to the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

“Our operations will continue, God willing, and our activities will continue for the most part,” he added, “in solidarity with Gaza” and “in response to the American-British aggression against Yemen.”

He praised the people of Yemen for staging mass pro-Palestine rallies across the country on a weekly basis, saying “the demonstrators, who converge on the Al-Sabeen Square [in Sana’a] every week, are doing a great and epic job. They are treading the righteous path. Those who have not taken any stance vis-à-vis the Gaza conflict have actually reached the nadir of disbelief and infidelity.”

In solidarity with the Gaza Strip, the Houthis are targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies, or otherwise linked to the occupation state, engaged in transportation of goods to and from Israel. In response, the US and its allies launched a number of air strikes against targets in Yemen, killing a number of people.Houthi attacks on cargo ships have led to no deaths or injuries and have only hampered international shipping lines, increasing costs and slowing deliveries.

Read: Thousands of Yemenis rally in support of Gaza in Houthi-held Sana’a