Effective immediately:

Houthi want to attack ships in the Mediterranean too

(Bild: AP)

The Houthi militia in Yemen announced an expansion of its attacks on merchant ships in the Mediterranean on Friday. A spokesman for the group told tens of thousands of supporters in the capital Sanaa that ships in the Mediterranean en route to ports in Israel would also be attacked with immediate effect.

According to experts, the Houthi have missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers and could therefore theoretically carry out their threat. The Houthi militia, which is allied with Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, has been attacking merchant ships passing by its coast in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean for months.

Yemen lies on the world's most important trade route
Yemen is located on one of the world's most important trade routes connecting Europe with Asia. The Houthi are also believed to have taken part in the Iranian attack on Israel with missiles and drones in mid-April. However, the attack was largely repelled by Israel and its allies.

A spokesman for the group (pictured) told supporters in Sanaa on Friday that ships in the Mediterranean en route to Israeli ports would also be attacked with immediate effect.(Bild: kameraOne (Screenshot))

According to their own statements, the Houthi want to force an end to the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. In the event of an offensive on the city of Rafah in the south of the coastal strip, the Houthi spokesman announced that the attacks would be extended to all ships whose operators had business contacts with Israel.

So far, only ships traveling to or from Israel or belonging to Israeli, British or US companies have been targeted.

EU deployment to protect merchant shipping
Several Western countries are involved in operations to defend against Houthi attacks. A few weeks ago, the EU also launched a military operation to protect merchant shipping in the Red Sea. Air strikes by the USA and the UK with the support of allies aimed at curtailing the Houthi's capabilities have so far not had the desired success.