Cairo, Dec. 21, (dpa/GNA) – Yemen’s Iran-allied rebel leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi on Wednesday urged countries not to get involved in a new US-led multinational operation to secure the Red Sea, describing it as a move aimed to turn the area into a battlefield.
The group will continue their attacks on Israeli-owned ships or those heading to Israeli ports, the rebel leader said in a televised speech, adding that all other ships are safe to move in the area.
The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea since last month and vowed to continue their attacks on ships linked to Israeli until the Gaza Strip gets the food and medicine it needs. They have hijacked the Galaxy Leader vessel and detained its crew since mid-November.
However, ships with no links to Israel also appear to be targeted, prompting several of the world’s largest shipping companies to suspend transports through the Red Sea to the Suez Canal.
“The biggest threat to international navigation in [the area] is the US move, which aims to militarize the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab,” al-Houthi said. “The US seeks to turn it into a battlefield,” he added.
He also threatened to target US interests and ships, if Washington starts a war with Yemen.
“If the US sends soldiers to Yemen, it should know that it will face something harsher than what it faced in Afghanistan and suffered in Vietnam,” the Houthi leader said.
He urged countries bordering the Red Sea as well as European countries not to get involved in the newly-announced force.
The United States said that several countries will support the new security initiative, named Operation Prosperity Guardian, including Britain, France, Italy, Norway, Canada, Spain, the Netherlands and Bahrain.