Yemen’s Houthis Will Target US Ships: Al Jazeera

Yemen’s Houthis will expand their targets in the Red Sea to include US ships, according to a spokesperson for the group.

• "The ship doesn't necessarily have to be heading to Israel for us to target it; it is enough for it to be American," Nasruldeen Amer, a spokesperson for the Houthis, told Al Jazeera.
• He added that British and American ships had become legitimate targets due to their strikes on the Houthis.
• The US Department of Transportation issued an alert Jan. 15 advising merchant vessels to avoid the Southern Red Sea until further notice.
• A US-owned and operated vessel carrying steel - Eagle Gibraltar – was hit by a missile Jan. 15, although no damage has been reported so far.
• The Houthis had previously claimed that it was only targeting Israel owned vessels or those heading to Israel in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.