Houthis join forces with Iraqi militia to attack Israeli ships

The Yemeni Houthis have claimed responsibility for a joint operation with the Islamic Resistance Movement in Iraq that involved an attack on Israeli ships in the port of Haifa, Al Jazeera reported, citing a statement by a senior Houthi official.

In a Twitter post, the head of the Houthi Forces Spokesperson’s Office wrote that there were indeed two attacks by the Houthis and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. One of them targeted ships in the port of Haifa, the other targeted a ship in the Mediterranean. The ship – the Shorthorn Express – was on its way to the port of Haifa.

According to a televised statement by Yahya Saree, the four ships in Haifa port were the trigger for the attacks because they had violated a ban previously imposed by the Houthi authorities on ships affiliated with Israel from calling at Palestinian ports.

Meanwhile, the British Maritime Trade Operations reported that the Houthis attacked another merchant ship in Yemeni waters on Sunday.

“The captain of a merchant vessel reports being struck by an unmanned antenna system, causing damage to the vessel. All crew are safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call,” UKMTO said.

The Houthis began attacking ships in the Red Sea in November, calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and vowing to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea until Israel stops bombing the Gaza Strip.

The attacks on the most important waterway between Europe and Asia meant that many ships had to bypass Africa, making journeys between the two continents longer and more expensive and disrupting shipping schedules.

The US is trying to prevent the Houthis from attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea and has carried out numerous strikes against Houthis’ missiles and drones in areas of Yemen controlled by the Iran-allied group.

At the end of May, the Houthis expanded their sphere of influence and attacked six ships in three seas: the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean. Previously, the Houthis had not managed to reach the Mediterranean, which is a rather worrying development for the West.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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