Houthis announce targeting US ship, vow escalation during Ramadan

Shafaq News / On Tuesday, Ansarallah (the Houthis) announced targeting an American ship in the Red Sea, while also threatening to escalate their military operations during the holy month of Ramadan.

The group stated that "the naval forces of the Yemeni armed forces, with the help of Allah Almighty, carried out a targeting operation against the American ship (Pinocchio) in the Red Sea with a number of naval missiles, and the hit was accurate."

They added that "the Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that they will continue to prevent Israeli navigation or these heading to the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red Sea and the Arab seas until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted."

The group emphasized that "The Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that their military operations will be escalated, with the help of Allah Almighty, during the month of Ramadan, the month of jihad, in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and for our mujahideen brothers in the Gaza Strip," according to the statement.

The Houthis have been launching frequent drone and missile attacks on international commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden since mid-November. 

They claim solidarity with Palestinians facing Israel's actions in Gaza. 

These near-daily assaults have compelled companies to redirect their ships through longer and more expensive routes around Africa, sparking concerns about potential destabilization in the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas.

In response to these attacks, the United States and Britain have targeted Houthi assets. 

The impact of the Houthi decision reaches halfway to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a 20-kilometer-wide passage that serves as the gateway to the Red Sea. Approximately 15% of global shipping traffic transits through this strait to and from the Suez Canal.

Despite many Western accusations suggesting Iran influences Houthis to target vessels, both Tehran and the Yemeni group deny such claims. 

Iran asserts that Ansarallah makes independent decisions, akin to other movements in the "Axis of Resistance," which includes Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iraqi factions, and others.

All groups within the Axis have declared that their attacks will persist until a ceasefire is achieved in the Gaza Strip, where Israel's actions have resulted in the deaths of over 32,000 Palestinians, predominantly children and women.

The Israeli aggression has also displaced approximately 1.5 million people, leading to the destruction of infrastructure, hospitals, schools, and even UN facilities.

The United Nations reports that the Gaza Strip is currently experiencing famine conditions, exacerbated by Tel Aviv's rejection of humanitarian aid through Rafah.

Tragically, dozens of children, including newborns in Gaza have died of hunger so far.