Houthis Promise Safe Passage for Russian, Chinese Ships As Strikes Continue
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
MOSCOW/BUDAPEST/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – The Houthis have promised safe passage for Russian and Chinese vessels through the Red Sea, where the Iran-backed militia in Yemen attack commercial ships “in solidarity” with Palestinians in Gaza.
In an interview published by Russian outlet Izvestia on Friday, Houthi spokesman Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said the waters around Yemen are safe for countries not supporting Israel.
“As for all other countries, including Russia and China, their shipping in the region is not threatened. Moreover, we are ready to ensure the safe passage of their ships in the Red Sea because free navigation plays a significant role for our country.”
The remarks were published while a delegation of Houthi ally Hamas visited Moscow to discuss their war against Israel.
Russia’s foreign ministry said the Kremlin had urged the release of Israeli and other hostages held by the group and condemned the “catastrophic humanitarian crisis” in Gaza, where Israel continues its military operations to crush Hamas.
The Houthis said they will continue attacking U.S. and British-linked ships as well as vessels of other countries as long as Israel continues to strike Hamas and Gaza.
The Houthis claimed early on Friday another attack on a U.S. ship after the United States launched fresh strikes on rebel targets the day before.
SHIP CREW CAPTURED
Bukhaiti defended his group’s capture in November of the Galaxy Leader — a merchant vessel linked to an Israeli businessman — as “a precautionary step for everyone else to follow our requirements.”
The ship’s crew, who are still being held, “are fine, and we are giving them a warm welcome,” he added.
The Houthis began their strikes after Israel launched its war against Hamas following the Hamas October 7 attacks in Israel in which some 1,200 people were killed and up to 250 people taken hostage.
“Ansar Allah does not pursue the goal of capturing or sinking this or that sea vessel,” Bukhaiti said, using the group’s official name. “Our goal is to raise the economic costs for the Jewish state in order to stop the carnage in Gaza.”
In response, the US has carried out a fifth strike against Houthi rebel targets in Yemen, though U.S. President Joe Biden admitted that bombing the rebels has yet to stop their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
Late on Thursday, U.S. warplanes targeted anti-ship missiles that “were aimed into the southern Red Sea and prepared to launch,” according to U.S. Central Command.
But in an exchange with reporters in Washington DC, Biden acknowledged that “When you say working, are they [the strikes], stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes.”
HOUTHIS STRIKE BACK
Soon after Biden’s remarks, Houthi militia showed they weren’t impressed with the rhetoric: They launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles at a US-owned tanker ship that hit the water near the vessel but caused no injuries or damage, the U.S. military said.
The Iran-backed rebels have said U.S. and British-linked ships and other Western allies were fair game after they launched air strikes in Yemen in response to the repeated attacks.
Additionally, the leader of the Houthis urged the Arab world to mount mass boycotts of Israeli goods.
He claimed U.S. and British missile strikes launched on Yemen show attacks on Israeli-linked commercial shipping were having an impact.
Abdulmalik al-Houthi, a Muslim, said it was “a great honor and blessing to be confronting America directly.”
Attacks on vessels “in any way connected with Israel” would continue, he warned.
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