DUBAI, January 16. /TASS/. Yemen’s Houthis will resume strikes on Israeli territory and merchant ships if Israel pulls out of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, said Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the group’s leader.
"We will follow the phases of the implementation of the deal. In the event of any Israeli violation, continued massacres or renewed siege, we will be ready to immediately provide military support to the Palestinian people," he said in comments broadcast by the Houthi-owned Al Masirah television channel.
"Military operations in support of the Palestinian people will continue if the Israeli enemy does not stop the escalation and the practice of collective punishment before the implementation of the agreement," al-Houthi went on to say.
Despite the announcement about the cessation of attacks, the Houthi leader said "the Palestinian issue has not been solved," so the conflict in the Middle East will continue. The group will coordinate its steps with Palestinian factions once the ceasefire agreement comes into effect.
"We will work to support the Palestinian people and provide them with any form of assistance as long as Palestine remains under Israeli occupation and cannot realize its legitimate rights," al-Houthi said.
Houthi track record
Following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis, also known as the Ansar Allah group, said they would strike Israeli territory and prevent ships affiliated with that country from passing through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave ended. Houthi drones and missiles have attacked dozens of civilian ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November last year. The strikes killed at least four seamen, sank two ships and captured another.
In response to these attacks, the US and UK announced preparations for Operation Prosperity Guardian to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea. Afterward, the UK and US started carrying out regular strikes on Houthi military sites in various Yemeni provinces.
The Houthis have regularly launched missiles and drones toward Israel, which have been largely intercepted by Israeli air defenses. In recent weeks, the Houthis almost daily announced strikes on central Israel, including the cities of Tel Aviv and Ashkelon. On December 21, the Israeli military failed to intercept a missile launched from Yemen, and it injured at least 30 people.
Since the escalation of the Middle East conflict, Israel has launched several strikes on Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, including the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. Israeli aircraft have attacked Houthi military installations, Sanaa's international airport and the Red Sea ports of Ras Isa and Hodeidah. According to the Houthis, one of the latest Israeli attacks killed six people.