The head of the Houthi rebels in Yemen said Thursday attacks on ships in the Red Sea will escalate despite the U.S. military striking targets held by the Iranian-backed terror group.
"Operations in the Red and Arabian seas, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden are continuing, escalating, and effective," Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on the group's Al-Masirah channel, reported The Times of Israel.
The Houthis began targeting commercial shipping and U.S. Navy vessels in the Red Sea and connected waterways following the launch of Israel's military operation against Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
On Thursday, the Houthis reportedly fired two missiles that struck the British-owned cargo ship MV Islander in the Gulf of Aden. Also Thursday, Israel reportedly said it intercepted what appeared to be a Houthi missile attack near the Red Sea port city of Eilat.
On Feb. 4, the U.S. and United Kingdom combined to strike 36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen, but it didn't have the desired effect of deterrence because the Houthis have been launching missiles at targets in the Red Sea and connected waterways almost daily since then.
On Wednesday, U.S. Central Command said it conducted "four self-defense strikes" against seven mobile Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles and one mobile anti-ship ballistic missile launcher that were prepared to launch toward the Red Sea. It also said U.S. forces shot down a one-way attack unmanned aircraft system.
Al-Houthi also disclosed, the Times of Israel reported, that his forces have submarine capabilities, but provided no details.
On Feb. 15, CENTCOM revealed a U.S. Coast Guard cutter on Jan. 28 seized advanced conventional weapons and other lethal aid originating in Iran and bound to Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The siezure took place in the Arabian Sea.
Among the items seized were components for an unmanned underwater/surface vehicle. CENTCOM said Saturday that among five Houthi targets it struck, one was on an unmanned underwater vehicle.
"You're certainly seeing that they have sophisticated technology and capabilities that they're getting from Iran," Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said Tuesday during a briefing. "That was the first time ... that they used an underwater unmanned vehicle to try and launch an attack."
Newsmax reached out to the Pentagon for comment on al-Houthi's statements.