Yemen Houthis vow to step up Ship Attacks

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Friday threatened to extend their attacks on Israel-bound shipping to the Mediterranean after months of strikes on vessels in the Red Sea.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who say they are acting in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war, said the escalation would take effect “immediately.”

The Houthis, who control large swathes of Yemen including much of its Red Sea coast, have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on shipping since November.

Their campaign has prompted US and British reprisal attacks and the formation of an international naval coalition to protect the vital trade route.

The Houthi arsenal includes ballistic missiles with a range of 1,600 to 1,900 kilometers (994 to 1,180 miles) and Iranian Shahed-136 drones that can travel up to 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), experts say.

The rebels previously threatened to extend their attacks to the Indian Ocean and to vessels taking the detour around southern Africa to avoid the Yemeni coast. But their main focus has remained the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.