The leader of Yemen's Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Thursday the group would target ships of any company related to supplying or transporting goods to Israel regardless of their destination.
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen February 6, 2024. Reuters/Khaled Abdullah
The leader of Yemen's Houthis, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said on Thursday the group would target ships of any company related to supplying or transporting goods to Israel regardless of their destination.
He said this was a fourth stage of escalation in retaliation to "the Israeli aggression on Rafah" in the southern Gaza Strip.
"From now on, we are also thinking about the fifth stage and the sixth stage, and we have very important, sensitive and influential choices on the enemies," he added.
Months of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa, and stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread to destabilise the wider Middle East.
The United States and Britain have carried out strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.
By Clauda Tanios and Ahmed Tolba
Germany has recalled its ambassador to Iran over the execution of German-Iranian national Jamshid Sharmahd and summoned the Iranian charge d'affaires to voice Berlin's protest, the German foreign office said on Tuesday.
Lebanese armed group Hezbollah named Naim Qassem as its new leader on Tuesday but Israel said his tenure would be "temporary", an apparent threat after it killed his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut over a month ago.
The United States warned Iran at the United Nations Security Council on Monday of "severe consequences" if it undertakes any further aggressive acts against Israel or U.S. personnel in the Middle East.
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