Yemen’s Ansarullah resistance movement has vowed to prevent Israeli-linked merchant vessels from sailing in the Indian Indian Ocean, citing stepped-up Israeli aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip.
“Given the stepped-up Israeli military aggression against Gaza, we declare that Yemeni Armed Forces have intensified their retaliatory measures, and will now target Israeli ships traveling in the Indian Ocean on the way to the Cape of Good Hope [at the tip of South Africa],” Ansarullah spokesman Mohammed Abdul-Salam wrote in a post published on X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.
He added that shipping companies linked to Israel should take into serious consideration the threat to target merchant ships in the Indian Ocean, and bear in mind that any ship affiliated to the occupying regime will not be spared from Yemeni naval missiles.
The remarks came hours after Ansarullah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said Yemeni Armed Forces would continue their retaliatory operations against Israeli-affiliated commercial vessels and prevent the passage of the ships even through the Indian Ocean and through the Cape of Good Hope.
About 34 Yemeni fighters have been killed since the Yemeni military began to attack shipping lanes in solidarity with the people of Palestine, Houthi said in a televised speech broadcast live from the capital Sana’a on Thursday evening.
Houthi noted that 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.
“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.”
Houthi underscored that the operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege on Gaza persist.
Yemeni citizens have declared their full support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation, especially in light of the destructive war on Gaza that commenced on October 7 following the unexpected Operation Al-Aqsa Storm conducted by Palestinian resistance groups in the coastal sliver.
Yemeni Armed Forces have announced their intention to persist with retaliatory strikes.
As a consequence of the maritime attacks, numerous prominent shipping and oil enterprises have been obliged to cease the transportation through one of the world’s foremost maritime trade routes.
Tankers are opting to circumnavigate the continent of Africa instead of utilizing the Suez Canal, thereby extending international shipping routes by thousands of miles.
