Yemen’s Huthi rebels condemned on Tuesday Israel’s wave of strikes on Gaza, vowing to escalate its own operations in support of its ally Hamas after threatening to renew attacks on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea.
“We condemn the Zionist enemy’s resumption of aggression against the Gaza Strip,” the Huthis’ supreme political council said in a statement.
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“The Palestinian people will not be left alone in this battle, and Yemen will continue its support and assistance, and escalate confrontation steps,” it added.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll from Israel’s most intense strikes on the territory since the start of a truce had risen to “at least 330”.
The Huthis, part of Iran’s “axis of resistance” against the United States and Israel, launched scores of drone and missile attacks on passing ships and Israeli territory during the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.
The campaign had crippled the vital route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies into a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa.
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After halting their attacks when Gaza’s ceasefire took effect in January, the Huthis last week threatened to resume them unless Israel lifts a blockade of aid to the shattered Palestinian territory.
Over the weekend, the United States began launching air strikes that the Huthis said killed 53 people, with Washington vowing to “use overwhelming lethal force” and continue striking to end the threat posed to Red Sea shipping by the Huthis.
On Tuesday, the Huthis claimed their third attack on American warships in 48 hours in the northern Red Sea.