DUBAI, February 1. /TASS/. At least 600,000 men in the provinces of Yemen, controlled by the Houthi rebels of the Ansar Allah movement, have undergone crash military training courses in the past three weeks, Houthi leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi said in a speech telecast on the Al Masirah TV channel.

"During the period of aggression launched against our country by the United States and Britain on January 12, 600,000 men underwent general training, training for commanders and specialized training," al-Houthi noted. He stressed that "training and qualification enhancement activities" for the Ansar Allah personnel were "very important and will be expanded."

After the escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Ansar Allah movement announced that it would be attacking Israeli territory and preventing ships associated with Israel from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait as long as the operation in the Palestinian enclave continued. Since mid-November the Houthis have attacked dozens of civilian ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. On January 11, al-Houthi announced mobilization in most provinces controlled by his supporters in Yemen.

On January 12, Britain and the United States used airplanes, ships and submarines to attack Ansar Allah targets in several cities in Yemen, including Sana'a and Hodeidah. The targets included missile and drone deployment sites, as well as the rebel’s radars.