As attacks disrupt Red Sea shipping, Houthi leader claims 'real victory'

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Thursday (February 8) that the rebels had achieved a "real victory". Houthi rebels have been attacking global shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial maritime trade route. The rebels have been claiming that the attacks were aimed at targetting shipping linked to Israel in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.

The Houthi attacks have forced major global shipping companies to avoid the Red Sea route. Houthi rebels control much of Yemen and fight against the US-backed government in the country.

"The movement of ships linked to Israel has become almost non-existent. For the Israeli enemy's ships, their movement has completely stopped from the Bab al-Mandab strait to the Red Sea, and this is a real achievement and a real victory," al-Houthi said in a televised speech.

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The United States and other countries like the United Kingdom have launched attacks on Houthi positions since December last year in an attempt to allay fears of Houthi attacks affecting trade through the Red Sea and thereby affecting the global economy.

But some US allies, notably European countries, have raised reservations about the plan, which has seen the USand Britain launch air strikes on Houthi positions and baulked at the idea of being under Washington's command.

The European Union is planning to launch its own mission in the Red Sea in mid-February. On Thursday, Germany sent a powerful air defence frigate to bolster EU forces in the waters.

Houthi rebels enjoy support from Iran. As Houthis jumped into the situation created by the Israel-Hamas war, there were fears that the rebels' participation would spark a regional war connected to Israel-Hamas violence. Though the danger remains ever-present to this day, there are little signs of such a situation arising in the context of Houthi rebels and war in Yemen.

(With inputs from agencies)