Houthis Respond: Plans by US to Establish New Maritime Protection Force in The Red Sea | Dec 18, 2023 #RedSea #BabelMandeb #Israel

  

Houthis have been carrying out attacks on commercial ships passing through those waters. They say they're targeting ships linked to Israel, in protest against military actions in Gaza. In a statement, a prominent Houthi commander said 'any escalation in Gaza is an escalation in the Red Sea, and any calm in Gaza is considered a calm in the Red Sea.' He went on to say 'any country or party that comes between us and Palestine, we will confront it'. Hussain Al Bukhaiti is a political analyst aligned with the Houthi movement. He says the US getting further involved in the Red Sea could see those waters turned into a battle zone. The Houthi attacks led to naval crisis on the Red Sea. Major shipping firms are suspending passage through the Bab al-Mandab strait following a series of attacks by Iran backed Houthi fighters.