Houthi negotiator insists on Gaza war end and humanitarian aid for north and south Gaza
\nRIYADH
\nThe chief negotiator for Yemen\u2019s Houthis said on Monday the group\u2019s stance has not changed since US-led air strikes on its positions, and warned that attacks on ships headed to Israel will continue.
\nUS and British warplanes, ships and submarines last week launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen in retaliation for Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, which the Iran-aligned movement cast as a response to Israel\u2019s offensive in Gaza.
\n\u201cAttacks to stop Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of the occupied Palestine will continue,\u201d Mohammed Abdulsalam told Reuters.
\nHe said the group was still demanding an end of the war in Gaza, and humanitarian aid deliveries to the north and south of the Gaza Strip.
\n\u201cWe do not want escalation in the Red and Arabian Seas,\u201d Abdulsalam said. It was the United States and Britain that were militarising the Red Sea with their warships, he added.
\n\u201cOur communication … continues to clarify our position, and confirm that all commercial ships in the Red and Arabian Seas are safe, with the exception of Israeli ships or those heading to Israel, only and only,\u201d he said.
\nIsrael has regularly denied having links to vessels that have come under attack in the Red Sea, and several international shipping lines have paused deliveries or switched to longer, more costly routes.
\n\u201cOur position comes from religious, moral and humanitarian principles … as well as in response to the calls of the people of Palestine … to support the oppressed in the Gaza Strip,\u201d Abdulsalam said.
\nThe US military said on Sunday a US fighter jet shot down an anti-ship cruise missile which the Houthis fired towards the USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea. \u201cThere were no injuries or damage reported,\u201d the US Central Command added.
\nThe Houthi movement controls much of Yemen after nearly a decade of war against a US-backed and Saudi-led coalition.
\nThe UN Security Council on Wednesday demanded the Houthis immediately end attacks on ships in the Red Sea and implicitly endorsed a US-led task force that has been defending vessels while cautioning against escalating tensions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Houthi negotiator insists on Gaza war end and humanitarian aid for north and south Gaza RIYADH The chief negotiator for Yemen\u2019s Houthis said on Monday the group\u2019s stance has not changed since US-led air strikes on its positions, and warned that attacks on ships headed to Israel will continue. US and British warplanes, ships and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-381068","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n