DUBAI, January 11. /TASS/. The leader of Yemen's Ansar Allah rebel movement, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, has said that any attack by the United States against Houthi forces will have serious repercussions.
"No manifestation of American aggression will go unanswered," said al-Houthi, whose speech was broadcast by Al Masirah TV channel. "The response to a potential American attack will be larger than the recent operation in which more than 24 drones and missiles were used," he stressed.
On Wednesday, the movement's military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, said a strike had been made at a US ship in response "to the treacherous attack" against the Houthis on December 31. Back then, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said the Houthis, in four small boats, approached the Singapore-flagged container ship Hangzhou, opened fire and attempted to board it. According to a statement from CENTCOM, US Navy helicopters from two aircraft carriers nearby sank three of the Houthi boats. According to the spokesman, ten members of the Ansar Allah movement were killed.
CENTCOM earlier reported that on January 9, the Houthis attempted a sophisticated attack using drones, anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles from Yemeni territory under their control toward international commercial shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea. US naval ships helped repel the attack, including the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, along with F-18 fighter jets, and a British Navy ship. According to CENTCOM, coalition forces shot down 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile.
Following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis said they would strike Israeli territory and would not allow associated ships to pass through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave is stopped. CENTCOM estimates that the Houthis have attacked more than 20 ships and civilian vessels in the Red Sea since mid-November. In response, US authorities launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure freedom of navigation and ship security.