Al-Houthi threatens to escalate naval operations against ships and the Pentagon threatens
The Houthi group vowed on Thursday to escalate its naval operations in support of the Gaza Strip, which has been witnessing an Israeli war for the tenth month.
This came in a televised speech by the group’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, broadcast by the Houthis’ Al-Masirah satellite channel.
Al-Houthi said: “As great as the impact of our operations in the Red and Arab Bahrain, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden has been, we seek to strengthen operations in the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.”
He added: “The Red Sea field and the Gulf of Aden have come under control in preventing the Zionist enemy (Israel) and targeting the American and British enemy, and the operations have become effective, strong, capable and very influential.”
Al-Houthi continued: “We will increasingly transfer this level of escalation and impact of operations to the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.”
He pointed out that "the important facts that the enemies recognize must be shown to the people through statistics and figures, and the extent of the impact of the Yemeni military operations on the economy of the Zionist, American and British enemy."
In addition, the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) confirmed its commitment to continue working with partners to hold the Houthis accountable and weaken their military capabilities.
In a statement issued by the Ministry's Press Secretary, Major General Pat Ryder, the Ministry stressed the need to stop Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and expressed its desire to see a ceasefire in Gaza.
Major General Ryder explained that the ongoing Houthi aggression in the Red Sea region endangers the lives of innocent sailors and threatens freedom of navigation, noting that the Houthis’ reckless behavior threatens regional stability.
He pointed out that the strike group led by the aircraft carrier "Theodore Roosevelt" arrived in the Fifth Fleet's area of operations to respond to the Houthi attacks, instead of the aircraft carrier "Eisenhower" that left the region.
He added that the US Army's Central Command announced last week the destruction of five Houthi drones.
