Houthis vow to extend their reign of terror into the Indian Ocean in ‘major move’ that could boost shipping costs
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have vowed to expand their terror campaign from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean in a “major step”.
Houthi chief Abdul Malik al-Houthi said tonight that his militants will now target Israel-linked ships as far as the southern tip of Africa.
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In a televised address, al-Houthi said: “Our main struggle is to prevent ships linked to the Israeli enemy from sailing not only through the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, but also through the Indian Ocean towards the Cape from Aden. Good hope.
“This is an important step and we have started implementing our activities related to it.”
The Iran-aligned Yemeni group has been waging war against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in solidarity with Hamas, while Israel continues its war in Gaza.
Al-Houthi added that around 34 of its fighters had been killed since the group began their attacks – although this claim has not been verified.
Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing companies to reroute to longer and more expensive voyages around southern Africa.
Their continued maritime attacks have also fueled fears that the war between Israel and Hamas could spread and destabilize the broader Middle East.
The US and Britain have carried out successive attacks on Houthi military targets in Yemen and re-designated the militia as a terrorist group.
Last week that was three people killed in the first fatal Houthi attack on an American cargo ship off the coast of southern Yemen.
Earlier this month one The British freighter was sunk in the Red Sea after being attacked by the Houthis.
The Rubymar cargo ship was believed to be heading north from the UAE to Bulgaria when the crew was forced to “abandon ship”.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels have been terrorizing the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on ships and warships – but who are they?
The Shiite militant group, which now controls most of Yemen, was largely ignored by the world for more than a decade.
However, since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Gaza, they have disappeared from relative obscurity accounting for around £1 trillion in global trade held hostage – making it one of the busiest in the world shipping routes to an active war zone.
Their twisted slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews and Victory for Islam.”
Why do they attack ships?
The rebel group has launched brutal drone and missile attacks on all ships – including warships – they believe are linked to Israel, in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
In reality, however, there have been frequent attacks on commercial ships with little or no connection to Israel, forcing global maritime traffic to halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices soaring.
The naval attacks have threatened to unleash a full-blown war in the Middle East, while the intense ripples of Israel’s war in Gaza are being felt across the region – with Iran suspected of fomenting the chaos.
Houthi attacks in the Red Sea increased by 50 percent between November and December as the rebel group’s leaders vowed that their attacks would continue until Israel halted its offensive in Gaza.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint attacks from the US and Britain destroying their strongholds in Yemen, Iran’s terror representative appears undeterred.
