SANAA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi armed forces on Tuesday reiterated their position on maritime security, asserting their commitment to ensuring the freedom of navigation for all vessels, except those linked to Israel or supporting its military operations in Gaza.
"We affirm our commitment to freedom of navigation for all except the Zionist enemy and those who support it in its aggression against Gaza," Houthi-controlled state news agency, Saba, cited Mahdi Al-Mashat, president of Houthi Supreme Political Council, as saying.
Al-Mashat emphasized that shipping companies unaffiliated with Israel should contact the group's "Humanitarian Operations Center" in the capital Sanaa and comply with naval instructions communicated via radio "to avoid harm."
"All shipping companies must adhere to the instructions and decisions of our armed navy forces, and whoever ignores them will bear responsibility for that," al-Mashat warned.
The remarks of Al-Mashat came hours after the Houthis broadcast a video via its al-Masirah satellite TV channel, showing the group's attack against the MAGIC SEAS ship in the Red Sea. The group claimed responsibility for the strike.
On Monday, Houthis militants attacked the Greek-owned Eternity C in the Red Sea, killing three mariners and wounding two others, a Yemeni government naval official told Xinhua on Tuesday.
The Houthi group, which controls much of northern Yemen, has been targeting Israel since November 2023 in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. ■
