Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have vowed to continue attacking British ships in the Gulf of Aden after Sunday’s sinking of the UK-owned ship Rubimar.
The United Kingdom-owned ship Rubimar was sunk by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Yemeni Houthi rebels on February 18, the US military confirmed on Saturday.
“Yemen will sink more British ships, and any retaliation or other damage will be added to Britain’s list,” Hussein al-Ezi, deputy foreign minister of the Houthi-led government, said in a post on social media.
It is a rogue state that invades Yemen and partners with the US in sponsoring ongoing crimes against civilians in Gaza.
Houthi rebels have repeatedly fired drones and missiles against international commercial shipping since mid-November. They said the attacks were in solidarity with Palestinians against Israel’s military action in Gaza.
Their forays into the Red Sea disrupted shipping worldwide. Firms are being forced to reroute their ships on longer and more expensive voyages around South Africa.
In addition, the Israel-Hamas war has spread, and there is a fear of spreading instability in the Middle East.
On the other hand, the United States and Britain began attacking Houthi targets in Yemen in January in retaliation for the attack on the Red Sea ship.
