Houthis Vow to Continue Shipping Attacks

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have vowed to continue targeting ships in the Red Sea despite the planned US-led naval task force to secure the area, according to Bloomberg.

• “We’re seeking to develop our military capabilities to overcome any obstacles and reach our targets,” Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said Dec. 20, cited by Bloomberg. If the US attacks Yemen, “we will target it” by firing missile and drones at US battleships and other vessels, he added.
• Some have questioned the effectiveness of a naval task force, with shippers increasingly avoiding the area while details remain thin.
• “As long as don’t see the convoys that could protect our vessels, we will continue to avoid the area [Red Sea]”, Euronav CEO Alexander Saverys said.
• “If it’s only about escorting ships, it’s going to have very limited effectiveness, because you’re going to need to have a destroyer or frigate accompany every single ship going through in either direction, Riad Kahwaji, founder of INEGM told Bloomberg.