Houthi rebels in Yemen said they have stopped their attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea while the shaky ceasefire agreement in Gaza is still in effect, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
In a message yesterday to the "Izzedine al-Qassam" brigades, the military wing of "Hamas", the Houthis made it clear in the clearest possible way that they had stopped their attacks.
"We are closely monitoring the development of the situation and emphasize that if the enemy begins its aggression against Gaza, we will resume our military operations deep inside the Zionist state and reimpose a ban on Israeli vessels to sail in the Red and Arabian Seas," the Houthis said in a statement.
The group has yet to officially acknowledge that it has ceased all hostilities in the region.
During the war between Israel and "Hamas", the Houthis became known on the world stage for their attacks on Israel and on ships that the rebels say are aimed at forcing Israel to stop fighting. Since the ceasefire began on October 10 this year, the Houthi group has not claimed responsibility for any attacks.
The Houthis' military actions against vessels in the Red Sea have killed nine sailors and sunk four ships. This has disrupted shipping in the sea basin, where goods worth one trillion dollars pass annually. The rebels' latest attack was on the Dutch-flagged cargo ship "Minervagracht" on September 29, in which one member of the ship's crew was killed and another was wounded, the AP reminds.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly threatened Saudi Arabia and taken prisoners of employees of UN agencies and other humanitarian organizations, falsely accusing them of espionage, a claim that the UN and other organizations categorically deny.