Houthis say struck British oil ship in Gulf of Aden

The Yemeni troops “carried out an operation targeting a British oil tanker ‘Marlin Luanda’ in the Gulf of Aden, using a number of appropriate naval missiles”, Saree said in a video statement on Friday.

“The hit was direct, leading to its burning,” he added.

Over the past month, the Houthis have been staging many such strikes against Israeli vessels or those bound for the occupied Palestinian territories’ ports.

The operations have been described as a response to the October 7, 2023-present war and siege that the Israeli regime has been waging against Gaza following an operation carried out by the Palestinian territory’s resistance movements.

More than 26,000 Palestinians, some 70 percent of whom are women, children, and adolescents, have been killed in the brutal onslaught so far, while upwards of 64,100 others have been injured.

Saree stated the forces would continue their operations “until the aggression is stopped and food and medicine are allowed [to flow towards] the besieged Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip”.

The United States and the UK have also conducted several missile attacks against Yemeni targets in response to the Yemeni strikes.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm their adoption of all military measures within the right to defend beloved Yemen and to emphasize the ongoing practical solidarity with the Palestinian people,” the spokesperson continued.

In a televised speech on Thursday, Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi said the targeting of ships linked to Israel will continue until aid reaches the Palestinian people in Gaza.

He added the main reason for the continuation of Zionist crimes is America’s position.

“America insists that Gaza remain under complete siege and the Rafah crossing stays closed. America insists that the aid and supplies needed by the Palestinian people do not enter Gaza,” he continued, stating, “America sends its officers to the region to manage Zionist crimes. America is directly involved in the starvation of the Palestinian people. Not only are they starting them, but they are giving bombs to Israel to kill them.”

“America’s escalation against our country has a heavy price for them from an economic point of view, and it will also have negative results in the expansion of the scope of the war,” al-Houthi said.

The US, he added, does not care about endangering shipping and turning the Red Sea into a battlefield, nor does it have any problem with expanding the scope of the war and intensifying the situation in the region.

“It is the actions of the United States and the United Kingdom that are a danger to navigation and a violation of the sovereignty of the countries of the Red Sea region,” he said.

Since the beginning of Yemen’s operations in the Red Sea, 4,874 merchant ships have passed through the Red Sea, which is a high number, al-Houthi added.

“We only target Israeli ships. Our goal is to exert pressure to deliver food and medicine to the Palestinian people and to prevent Zionist crimes,” he continued.

Any escalation by America and England will have opposite results, al-Houthi asserted, saying it will not “affect our will and determination”.