By Fayez Abdulsalam
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Yemeni Houthi group claimed joint military attacks with an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia in Haifa in northern Israel on Thursday.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the first attack targeted two ships carrying military equipment at Haifa port, while the second targeted a vessel that violated a ban imposed on the port.
He said several drones were used in the attacks, which came in revenge for Israeli “massacres” in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on the Houthi claim by the time of publishing this report.
The Houthis have been targeting ships that are Israeli-owned, flagged, operated, or heading to Israeli ports in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with missiles and drones in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, which has been under a devastating Israeli offensive since Oct. 7.
With the US and UK launching retaliatory airstrikes against Houthi sites inside Yemen, the Houthis declared that they consider all American and British ships military targets.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala