The Houthis have announced an increase in their attacks on merchant ships in the Mediterranean. The militia has missiles and drones with a range that makes firing from Yemen possible.
The Houthi militia in Yemen has threatened to expand its attacks on ships in the Mediterranean. As a spokesman for the militia allied with the radical Islamic Hamas announced, the Houthis would attack all ships that were heading to Israel from the Mediterranean and were within range.
Israel’s Mediterranean ports are about 2,000 kilometers from Yemen. Estimates of the range of the missiles available to the Houthis vary – ranging from 1,900 to 2,500 kilometers. According to experts, the militia also has Iranian drones that can fly up to 2,000 kilometers. The Houthis could therefore theoretically carry out their threat.
Attacks in the Indian Ocean have also been threatened
The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November. According to their own statements, they want to support the Palestinians in the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. They had also recently threatened to expand their attacks into the Indian Ocean.
The USA and Great Britain are responding to the Houthi attacks on cargo ships on the important trade route in the Red Sea with attacks on militia positions in Yemen. In addition, warships from two international coalitions are trying to secure shipping traffic along the Yemeni coast. The Bundeswehr was also temporarily on site with the frigate “Hessen” as part of the EU naval mission “Aspides”.