Yemen's Houthi Leader Says Group will Target Israeli Ships in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi leader said on Tuesday his forces would make further attacks on Israel and they could target Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The Iran-aligned group made several missile and drone attacks against Israel this month, highlighting the risk of the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas spreading into the wider Middle East.

The Houthis, who have been at war against a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, have emerged as a major military force in the Arabian Peninsula, with tens of thousands of fighters and a huge arsenal of ballistic missiles and armed drones.

The group controls northern Yemen and its Red Sea coasts.

"Our eyes are open to constantly monitor and search for any Israeli ship in the Red Sea, especially in Bab al-Mandab, and near Yemeni regional waters," Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a broadcast speech.

Washington is on heightened alert for activity by Iran-backed groups since Hamas fighters rampaged into Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people.

Since then, Israel has escalated its assault on Gaza, where its forces have killed more than 11,000 people, according to Palestinian officials.

The Yemen war has settled into a stalemate as the fighting has largely stopped but both parties have failed to renew a United Nations-brokered truce that expired in October.

(Reuters - Reporting by Mohammed Alghobari, writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi, editing by Alexandra Hudson and Angus MacSwan)