The Ansar Allah (Houthi) group has not ceased missile and drone attacks on ships in the Red Sea as the group vows to continue their operations regardless of the threats of Western countries, particularly the U.S.
On Friday, the group warned the U.S. against any military escalation, saying that it will respond to any attacks by the American force or American allies.
Yahia Sarea, the military spokesperson of the Houthi group, said in a statement, “The Yemeni Armed Forces caution the American enemy against the consequences of any escalation against [Yemen] country and its people and warn all countries that the Americans seek to involve … in protecting the ships of the Zionist enemy.”
The warning came hours after the group fired a missile and drone on ships in the Red Sea, which the U.S. Central Command confirmed the attack on Friday.
The Central Command said in a statement, “The USS MASON (DDG 87) shot down one drone and one anti-ship ballistic missile in the Southern Red Sea that were fired by the Houthis between 5:45 - 6: 10 p.m. (Sanaa time) on December 28. There was no damage to any of the 18 ships in the area or reported injuries.”
According to the statement, the group has launched 22 attacks on international shipping since October 19.
In Al-Hudaydah province, where the Israeli-linked ship has been mooring since its seizure on November 19, the Houthi-appointed minister Mohammed Al-Atifi on Thursday warned in a speech during a military graduation ceremony against moves that aim to support the Zionist Entity in the Red Sea or the Arabian Sea.
He added, “We are closely and rigorously monitoring the movement of American, British, and French military forces in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea.”
The defense minister and Abdulkareem Al-Houthi, the interior minister, visited Houthi naval forces in Al-Hudyadah’s coastal areas, where the group has missile and drone launch pads and operation rooms.
As the Houthi group continues preparing for war in the Red Sea, the U.S. continues to stick to its defensive approach and sanctions to respond to the attacks on shipping lanes.
On Thursday, the U.S. imposed sanctions on a group of money exchange organizations in Yemen and Turkey that are accused of helping provide funding to the Iranian-backed Houthis.
U.S. Treasury said that the designated firms and individuals helped transfer millions of dollars to the Houthis at the direction of Iranian financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal.
In the first week of December, the U.S. announced sanctions against 13 people and firms alleged to be providing tens of millions of dollars from the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities to Yemen’s Houthis.
It has been over two months since the Houthi missile and drone strikes began, and the dynamic of the U.S.-Houthi faceoff in the Red Sea has not changed. The U.S. continues sticking to defensive operations and imposing sanctions on the financial backers of the Houthi group.