Watan-The military spokesperson for the Houthi group in Yemen, Yahya Saree, revealed new operations carried out by the group against Britain and the United States in the Red Sea.
Saree said in a statement that their naval forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the British ship in the Gulf of Aden “RUBYMAR” with a number of suitable naval missiles.
He added that the operation resulted in the severe injury of the ship, leading to its complete halt, and due to the extensive damage it sustained, the ship is now at risk of sinking in the Gulf of Aden.
Saree noted that their forces ensured the safe evacuation of the ship’s crew during the operation.
Shooting down an American aircraft
In Al Hudaydah, Saree announced that the air defenses managed to shoot down an American aircraft (MQ9) with an appropriate missile while it was carrying out “hostile missions against Yemen for the benefit of the Zionist entity.”
Saree continued: “The Yemeni Armed Forces will not hesitate to take further military actions and carry out more qualitative operations against all hostile targets in defense of dear Yemen and in support of the Palestinian people.”
بيانٌ صادرٌ عنِ القواتِ المسلحةِ اليمنية
بسمِ اللهِ الرحمنِ الرحيم
قال تعالى: { یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوۤا۟ إِن تَنصُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ یَنصُرۡكُمۡ وَیُثَبِّتۡ أَقۡدَامَكُمۡ } صدقَ اللهُ العظيمانتصاراً للشعبِ الفلسطينيِّ في قطاعِ غزةَ والذي يتعرضُ للعدوانِ والحصارِ حتى هذه… pic.twitter.com/STdFOxNGQX
— العميد يحيى سريع (@army21ye) February 19, 2024
Houthi pledge to continue operations
The Houthi military spokesperson emphasized that the operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea will not cease until the aggression stops and the blockade on Gaza is lifted.
Ships redefining themselves
Maritime data showed that more than 20 cargo ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are stating in their data that they have no affiliation with Israel, Britain, or America to avoid being targeted by the Houthis.
The statements vary between “we have no connection to Israel or America or the United Kingdom” or “no ties to Israel” or “all crew members are Chinese” or “the crew is Russian.”
Eight of these ships belong to Greek companies, in addition to four ships belonging to Chinese companies, three belonging to companies in Hong Kong, and six of the observed voyages departed from China.