Houthi Leaders Say US And UK Airstrikes Have No Effect

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik Al Houthi. (Wikimedia Commons/Tasnim News Agency)

JAKARTA - The leader of Yemen's Houthis, Abdul-Malik Al Houthi, said on Thursday the US and UK airstrikes had no effect on the group, including warding off attacks on their command and control positions.

The Houthis launched hundreds of drones and missiles into commercial ships since November, which disrupted global trade, where 12 percent trade routes through the Red Sea.

"This week, eight ships have been targeted by 26 missiles and drones," Al Houthi said in a speech, saying the group had carried out 153 attacks, reported by The National News on June 21.

He also dismissed US airstrikes against Houthi command and control positions in Yemen.

As previously reported, US and British troops launched airstrikes on the Raymah region in western Yemen this week. The Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV channel reported that planes from the two countries launched four attacks on the Al-Gabin District government complex.

Furthermore, Al Houthi also reiterated claims the group attempted to damage or sink US carrier USS Eisenhower. The Houthis say they attacked the ship weighing 100,000 tonnes, one of the 11 "super carriers", this month. Uncle Sam's country itself has denied these claims.

So far, the Houthis have sunk two civilian ships. First, the Rubymar ship was carrying fertilizer to Lebanon when it was attacked. The next ship was Tutor carrying coal from Russia. The group claims to only target ships associated with Israel.

Several other ships have been badly damaged in the Red Sea, including the now abandoned Ukrainian Verbena. As a result of the Houthi campaign, four civilian sailors have died so far.

The Houthis said they acted as a form of support for Hamas and would not stop their campaign until Israel ended the Gaza war. The group condemned what it called "Israel's brutal, barbaric and criminal aggression against the Palestinian people".

Separately, Gaza's health authorities on Thursday announced that the death toll of Palestinians as a result of Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023 has reached 37,431, while the injured reached 85,653 people, quoted from WAFA.

Due to tensions in the Red Sea, the volume of shipments in these waters has fallen by 90 percent.