DOHA, June 10. /TASS/. Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the supreme political council of the rebel Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, called on the countries with embassies in Tel Aviv to move their diplomatic missions to a safe distance from possible Houthi targets.
"To ensure the security of embassies of [foreign] states located near the legitimate targets of our forces in the occupied area of Jaffa (Tel Aviv - TASS), we urge to oblige the enemy government to move these embassies to a safe distance," Al Masirah TV channel, controlled by the Yemeni rebels, quoted him as saying. "If the enemy government does not meet the relevant requirements of any of the embassies, we recommend that these diplomatic missions be closed so that the enemy does not put them at risk."
Al-Mashat said that countries with embassies in Tel Aviv can contact the Houthi Foreign Ministry in the rebel-held Yemeni capital of Sanaa to "ensure that there are no legitimate military targets near their diplomatic missions." Ansar Allah has instructed its foreign ministry to inform any interested state about the situation with its embassy in Israel, he said.
After the escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip in 2023, the Houthis warned that they would shell Israel and would not allow ships associated with it to pass through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The attacks stopped after the introduction of a cease-fire in the Palestinian enclave in mid-January.
However, after the breakdown of the truce in early March, the rebels resumed attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea, and again began to attempt to attack targets in Israel, including Ben Gurion airport. In response, Israel launched attacks on Houthi targets, including Sanaa International Airport and the ports on the Red Sea coast.