The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.
On December 12, 2023, the Houthi Ansar Allah movement's armed forces claimed responsibility for firing a "naval missile" at the Norwegian commercial tanker STRINDA, which, they said, was en route to Israel. The statement also claims that, in the last few days, the Houthis have prevented the passage of several other vessels which "heeded the warnings of the Yemeni navy" and refrained from continuing their journey to Israel. The spokesperson of the Houthi armed forces, Brigadier-General Yahya Saree', stated that the Houthis would continue to prevent any ship, from any country, from reaching Israel through the Arabian Sea and Red Sea.[1]
Other Houthi officials urged the Yemeni people "to be on high alert in order to confront the escalation [of hostilities by] the Zionist enemy and its servants." They warned Israel not to make "any foolish moves" against the Houthis, stressing that the key to stopping "America's arrogance and the aggression against Gaza" is to widen the arena of the conflict.
A December 12 announcement by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) states that "the Motor Tanker STRINDA was attacked on December 11 by what is assessed to have been an Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) launched from a Houthi controlled area of Yemen while passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb. The STRINDA reported damage causing a fire on-board, but no casualties at this time. the USS MASON responded to the M/T STRINDA's mayday call" and came to its aid.[2]
The Houthi attack comes in the wake of the movement's December 9, 2023 announcement that it would close the Red Sea to any vessel sailing to Israel.[3] One day after this announcement, the French Navy announced that the Languedoc (D653), a FREMM multi-mission frigate, had shot down two Houthi drones in the Red Sea off the Yemeni Coast that had been launched from Yemen.[4]
The following are details on some of the recent statements by Houthi officials.
In a December 12, 2023 official statement on his Telegram channel, Houthi armed forces spokesperson Saree' said that the Yemeni navy had "carried out a high-quality military operation" of firing "a naval missile" at the STRINDA, which was delivering oil to "the Israeli entity." He added that the operation was carried out "to help the oppressed Palestinian people" in Gaza and "in response to the calls of the free people among the great Yemeni nation and our [Islamic] nation." The attack on the Norwegian tanker, he clarified, was carried out only after it had been warned and failed to heed the warnings. The spokesman reiterated that the Yemeni armed forces would not hesitate to target any vessel violating the terms set out in the armed forces' previous statements, until "our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip" receive the food and medicines they need.
In a December 10-11 posts on his X account, Houthi Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Al-Izzi called to open the Rafah crossing on a long-term basis in order to provide the needs of the Gazan population, and added: "America does not need to complicate this issue too much. We have prepared ourselves to die, and no Yemeni will die without [exacting] a heavy price [that will be felt] for many decades."[5]
On December 11, Houthi Supreme Political Council member Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi shared on his Telegram channel an excerpt from a past video address by Houthi leader Abdulmalik Badreddine Al-Houthi, in which he spoke against Isael. Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi highlighted the following quote from this address: "If the Israeli enemy makes any foolish move against our people, our people will not hesitate to hit very sensitive targets within the entity of the Israeli enemy." In another post, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi wrote: "The key – which the Arab and Islamic regimes must be familiar with – to stopping the American arrogance and the ongoing aggression against Gaza is to widen the arena of the war."[6]
[1] Telegram, December 12, 2023.
[2] Twitter.com/CENTCOM, December 12, 2023.
[3] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Houthi Ansar Allah Movement: We Will Block Every Ship Sailing To Israel Via The Red Sea; Senior Houthi Officials: This Is Our Response To American Veto Of Gaza Ceasefire; We Will Also Attack Vessels That Escort Israeli Ships, December 11, 2023.
[4] Twitter, December 10, 2023.
[5] Twitter, December 10-11, 2023.
[6] Telegram, December 11, 2023.
The full text of this post is available to subscribers.
Please login or register to request subscription information from MEMRI
