Houthis order ‘ban’ on Israel, US and UK-linked ships in the Red Sea
Al JazeeraYemen’s Houthis have announced they have “banned” vessels linked to Israel, the United States and United Kingdom from sailing in surrounding seas, as the rebels seek to reinforce their military campaign, which they say is in support of Palestinians in Gaza. The Houthis’ communication, the first to the shipping industry outlining a formalised ban in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, came in the form of two notices, Reuters said. The warning came amid continuing Houthi attacks that have disrupted international trade on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia, and counterattacks by US and British forces hoping to deter the rebels. On Thursday, the US military’s Central Command said it conducted four “self-defence” raids against the Houthis, destroying seven antiship cruise missiles, a mobile ballistic missile launcher and a drone it said originated from areas of Houthi-controlled Yemen. CENTCOM separately said that one person had been injured after two Houthi missiles hit a British-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea, and added that the US had earlier shot down six Houthi drones in the Red Sea identified as imminent threats to US and allied warships.