About 34 Houthi fighters have been killed since the Yemeni armed forces began to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with the people of Palestine under attack in Gaza by Israel, Ansarullah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday, according to Iran’s first 24/7 international television news network Press TV.
The leader of Yemen’s Houthis has said that “the Yemeni armed forces will continue their retaliatory operations against Israeli-affiliated commercial vessels, preventing the passage of the ships through the Indian Ocean and through the Cape of Good Hope.”
Yemeni forces have repeatedly launched drones and missiles against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November.
Al-Houthi said 73 ships have been targeted in Yemeni operations in support of Gaza so far, adding “rarely does any ship associated with the Israeli enemy pass through Bab al-Mandab,” as Press TV reports.
“This week, support operations included 12 operations targeting ships and barges, executed with a total of 58 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden,” he said.
“Our operations this time reached unprecedented ranges, with 3 operations reaching the Indian Ocean, by the grace of Allah,” he added. “The total number of targeted ships and barges reached 73.”
Al-Houthi said that “the operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza persist.”
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said on Friday that has received a report of an incident 50 nautical miles of AL Hudaydah, Yemen.
“The master reported two missiles flying over the vessel and heard two loud blasts in the distance,” the UKMTO added. It described the crew as being “safe” and said the ship was proceeding to its next port of call, adding that the vessel reports “no damages.”
