Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, announced that the group has attacked a total of 177 ships linked to Israel since November last year.

The operations, which have intensified following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in Gaza, are part of Ansar Allah's broader strategy to target Israeli interests.

In a televised address on Al Masirah, al-Houthi stated that Ansar Allah has blocked the movement of Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, forcing these vessels to reroute to the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Over the past week alone, the group claimed responsibility for launching 16 ballistic missiles and drones in various operations targeting these ships.

The attacks began in November 2022 and have since escalated, particularly in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Al-Houthi emphasized that Ansar Allah would continue to strike Israeli territory and prevent Israel-linked ships from passing through strategic maritime routes, including the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, until the military operations in Gaza cease.

On March 14, al-Houthi further declared that the group would expand its operations to target Israeli-linked ships across the Indian Ocean, the Cape of Good Hope, and potentially the Mediterranean Sea. The group has since launched what it describes as a "fourth phase of escalation," threatening to attack ships bound for Israeli ports in any region within their reach. (ILKHA)