NEW DELHI:
Yemen
's Iran-backed
Houthis
on Sunday Vowed and declared their intention to persist in targeting
British ships
in the Gulf of Aden, following the
sinking
of the UK-owned vessel
Rubymar
.
The US military on Saturday confirmed the sinking of the UK-owned vessel Rubymar, stating that it was struck by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Yemeni Houthi militants on February 18.
"Yemen will continue to sink more British ships, and any repercussions or other damages will be added to Britain’s bill, as it is a rogue state that attacks Yemen and partners with America in sponsoring the ongoing crime against civilians in Gaza. (You can't mess around in my country and then go spend your evening at Fabric. Whoever harms Yemen, we will harm him too much)," Hussein al-Ezzi, deputy foreign minister in the Houthi-led government, said in a post on X.
Since mid-November, Houthi militants have consistently launched drones and missiles targeting international commercial shipping, citing solidarity with Palestinians amidst Israel's military actions in Gaza.
Their Red Sea attacks 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 destabilize the wider Middle East.
The US and Britain began striking Houthi targets in Yemen in January in retaliation for the attacks on Red Sea shipping.