The Houthis assure that they will continue their attacks in the Red Sea despite the US-led operation

The rebels say they "will not stop" as long as the "genocide" in Gaza "does not end," "even if the US mobilizes the entire world"

MADRID, 19 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Houthi rebels have assured this Tuesday that they will continue their attacks against ships heading to Israel through the waters of the Red Sea despite the United States announcement on the creation of an international coalition to guarantee the security of this maritime route, key to international trade.

"Even if the United States succeeds in mobilizing the entire world, our military operations will not stop unless the crimes of genocide in Gaza end and food, medicine, and supplies are allowed into its besieged population. no matter what sacrifices we have to make," said Mohamed al Bukaiti, a member of the rebels' political wing.

Thus, he highlighted in a message published on his official account on the social network

Hours before, Al Bukaiti himself had "advised" countries not to join this coalition because it was "dishonorable" and "a shame." "The United States should seek to end the crimes of genocide in Gaza rather than establish an international coalition to protect their perpetrators," he said.

For his part, Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdusalam noted that the group will protect "the security of maritime routes in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, guaranteeing that there will be no threats to the ships of any country, with the exception of those linked to the enemy entity - in reference to Israel - or heading to its ports.

Abdusalam has emphasized that these actions are "a direct response" to the military offensive launched by Israel against the Gaza Strip after the attacks carried out on October 7 by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), before indicating that the intention of Washington is to "compensate for the collapse of the walls" in the face of the aforementioned attacks, as reported by the Yemeni television network Al Masirah, linked to the Houthis.

Early this Monday, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has pointed to a new "incident" around the Bab el Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean.

The organization has noted in a brief message on its account in ".

"The boats were blue or gray, depending on the description. The one that came closest came within half a nautical mile (about 920 meters) before moving away. The captain says that no orders were heard and no weapons were seen," he specified. "Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO," he concluded.

During the day on Monday, the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austin, announced the launch of Operation 'Guardian of Prosperity' to guarantee the security of maritime traffic in the Red Sea in the face of what he described as "an international challenge that requires collective action."

Thus, he said that the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain are participating in it, although the Spanish Ministry of Defense has specified this Tuesday that Madrid's participation is subject to decisions of the EU and NATO and that, consequently, Spain will not get involved "unilaterally" in this area.

The Houthis, supported by Iran, have launched several attacks against Israel since the start of the war between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel on October 7 and have threatened to attack any ships owned or operated by companies. Israelis or carry the Israeli flag in the Red Sea.

After that, they hijacked the ship 'Galaxy Leader', which is still being held, and carried out several attacks with missiles and drones against other ships in the area. The group later announced that it will prevent any ship bound for Israel from transiting the Red Sea until the people of Gaza receive "all the help they need."