After months of attacks in the Red Sea, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree declared on Friday that the Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels will start targeting vessels in the Indian Ocean, well as in the Cape of Good Hope route in the Atlantic Ocean, near the southern coast of Africa.
This route serves as an alternative for ships, bypassing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, due to recurring Houthi attacks.
Saree made these statements during a speech at Al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa, as part of the support protests for Palestinians held every Friday in the country. This was only the second time since the war began that Saree delivered a military speech during the massive Friday demonstrations. According to him, the Houthi operations in the Indian Ocean will target "Israeli ships, those linked to Israel or ships heading to Israeli ports."
The Cape of Good Hope route, now targeted by the Houthis, was previously deemed safe, leading ships to reroute there to evade potential attacks despite the substantial increase in travel distance and shipping costs.
In his speech Friday, the Houthi military spokesperson warned Israeli ships against using this alternative route, saying, "Otherwise, they will become our target."
More stories:
Saree claimed that the Houthi forces have already conducted "three operations" against three Israeli and U.S. ships in the Indian Ocean using several anti-ship missiles and drones, achieving their objectives.
He emphasized that operations against Israeli ships or those heading to Israel in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea would continue until "the aggression in Gaza stops and the siege is lifted."
During his speech, Saree announced that Houthi forces attacked the vessel PACIFIC 01 in the Red Sea with missiles and a U.S. Navy destroyer using drones.
Saree's announcement was preceded by a speech on Thursday by Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi who first declared the escalation and expansion of operations into the Indian Ocean.
"We announce the prevention of Israeli ships' passage from the Indian Ocean and South Africa toward the Cape of Good Hope. The forces in Yemen will continue the fight in support of the Palestinian people," he proclaimed.
He further said that his organization intends to extend operations to "places the enemy does not expect."
In his speech, al-Houthi also critiqued Muslim countries for their supposed failure to supply weapons to Hamas and praised Iran for doing so.
A military source from the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, told the Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar that the rebel group’s declaration of expanding their operations against Israel into the Indian Ocean is just the first step which will be followed by further stages, including preventing U.S. and British ships from passing there.
Ali al-Qahoum, a member of the group’s Supreme Political Council, told the Lebanese paper that extending operations from the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean comes as part of the escalation of the war in Gaza. "We will impose a new military equation outside the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Many surprises await in the near future," he said.
The Houthis' fresh threats to expand their maritime operations against Israel come amid reports of tightening ties between the Yemeni rebels and the Palestinians.
Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese network Al Mayadeen reported on Friday that Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine met with Ansar Allah to coordinate their next steps in the war against Israel.
Sources speaking to Al Mayadeen said that the Houthis promised the Palestinian factions continued "support actions" in the Red Sea and informed them that aerial attacks by the U.S. and Britain against them would not deter them.
According to the report, the meeting was attended by leading figures from the Palestinian factions, who expressed their support for the Houthis' actions, as part of preparations for a potential escalation during the month of Ramadan and the looming Israeli ground incursion into Gaza’s Rafah.
5 View gallery
A Houthi gunman walks past the Galaxy Leader which was seized by the Yemeni rebel group in November
(Photo: EPA/YAHYA ARHAB)
Al-Jazeera reported last week that the Houthis are coordinated with Hamas' military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, regarding the crew of the ship Galaxy Leader, which has been held by the Houthis since the vessel was seized last November. A senior Ansar Allah official told the network, "We are in coordination with Al-Qassam concerning the crew held by us."
CNN reported on Friday that the Houthis announced that Hamas would decide on the release of the ship's crew.
In recent months, the Houthis have received praise from the so-called "axis of resistance," an Iran-led alliance of Middle Eastern actors opposed to Israel and American presence in the Middle East, for their actions in support of the Palestinians and their impact on Israel, particularly economically.
Since joining the war alongside the Palestinians, there have been continuous reports of their attacks against various shipping vessels in the Red Sea, some of which caused significant damage, including the sinking of a ship and fatalities.
5 View gallery
Shipping vessel Rubymar sinks to the bottom of the Red Sea after a Houthi missile strike
(Photo: EPA /Yemeni Al-Joumhouriya TV HANDOUT)
Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported on Thursday that the Houthis claim their arsenal now includes hypersonic missiles – a highly advanced weapon whose use could dramatically escalate the conflict in the Middle East. The report did not specify any sources behind the claim or provide evidence to support it.
Hypersonic missiles, which travel at speeds exceeding Mach 5, pose a significant challenge to missile defense systems due to their speed and maneuverability. The Russian agency quoted "an official military source close to the Houthis," who claimed that the Yemeni rebels have already conducted successful tests of the new missile, capable of reaching speeds of Mach 8 – eight times the speed of sound. The source said that the Houthis intend to start producing this missile themselves for attacks against targets in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Israel.