The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are not deterred, and feel impunity to attack more ships. This was clear from their own media, which showed Houthi commanders on the Galaxy Leader ship they hijacked earlier this week.
“We tell the world that Yemen and its armed forces are ready and with high combat capabilities and abilities that enabled us to carry out combat missions in the Red Sea,” a Houthi official said on Thursday.
The Houthis reiterated their threats to Israel on Thursday. A Houthi naval commander “warned companies and merchants against shipping their goods and interests with Israeli ships or dealing with them” and the Houthis said “any military piece that protects Israeli ships will be a legitimate target for the operations of the Yemeni naval forces.” The statements appeared in Al-Masirah media, which is the media arm of the Houthis. A second article on the website said the Houthis would continue attacks on ships.
At the same time the IDF said “following the report regarding an infiltration of a hostile aircraft in the area of the city of Eilat, an IAF fighter jet successfully intercepted a cruise missile that was launched toward Israel.” This is at least the second time that Israel air force warplanes have downed a cruise missile. Israel used F-35s to down a cruise missile in early November.
Reuters said two ships diverted course in the wake of the Houthi attack. The New York Times also published satellite images of the hijacked ship. Other reports noted that the hijacking raises threats in the Red Sea.
Concern in the Arab world
Gulf countries are concerned about the Houthi attack on the ship. The Houthis fought Saudi Arabia and Saudi allies such as the UAE for many years after 2015. However Saudi Arabia and Iran have reconciled and there has been a truce in Yemen between the Saudi-backed government and the Houthi rebels.
Arab News noted “Yemen’s government, the EU, the UK and several other Western countries condemned the Houthi assault on the Galaxy Leader ship in the Red Sea this week, accusing the militia of endangering international maritime traffic.”
The report went on to note that “Yemeni Information Minister Muammar Al-Eryani called the Houthi hijacking a ‘full-fledged crime of piracy’ and ‘state terrorism’ that had no bearing on Israel’s war in Gaza. He called for the Houthis to be “named and shamed” for endangering maritime navigation in the Red Sea.” He also said, “this terrorist act does not have any direct or indirect impact on the brutal Israeli occupation. Rather, it directly affects the international trade movement in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, Suez Canal and the economies of the riparian countries,” Al-Eryani said.
Hezbollah has praised the Houthis. Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Neim Qassem said in his speech this week that what the Houthis did was “a courageous act that confirms that the nation has great potential,” stressing that “the Yemeni brothers, who have been steadfast since 2015, are determined, and do not are not afraid of something.” Al-Ain media in the Gulf rejected this view, asserting that the Houthi attack brings conflict to the Red Sea.
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