“The Houthis will not abandon the Palestinian cause, regardless of any U.S., Israeli, or Western threats,” he said, adding that operations against Israel will continue.

Yemen is ready with all defensive options to respond to any American, Israeli or Western hostile moves, he said.

“Yemen is concerned in protecting international maritime navigation in accordance with international laws and norms,” al-Qahoum said.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. military said attacks from Houthi-controlled Yemen struck two Liberian-flagged ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, underlining the threat to vessels in shipping lanes being targeted by the Iran-aligned group.

Part of the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance”, the Houthis have been attacking vessels in Red Sea shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel.

The Houthis, who rule much of Yemen, have said they will continue their attacks until Israel stops its offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis earlier said they hit a Norwegian commercial tanker with a missile in their latest protest against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, underlining the risks of a conflict that has shaken the Middle East.

In addition to avoid heading toward the Palestinian territories, ships that pass Yemen should keep radios turned on, and quickly respond to Houthi attempts at communication, Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of Yemen’s Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, said in a message on the X social media platform.

Al-Houthi also warned cargo ships against “falsifying their identity” or raising flags different from the country belonging to cargo ship owner.

The Iran-aligned group attacked the tanker, the STRINDA, because it was delivering crude oil to an Israeli terminal and after its crew ignored all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sarea had previously said in a statement.

The Houthis have waded into the Israel-Hamas conflict – which has spread around the region – attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

The Iran-aligned group attacked the tanker, the STRINDA, because it was delivering crude oil to an Israeli terminal and after its crew ignored all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sarea said in a statement.

But the tanker’s owner, Norway’s Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, said the vessel was headed to Italy with a cargo of biofuel feedstock, not crude oil. But it did acknowledge a tentative Israeli port call scheduled for January, details it had not offered in the immediate hours after the attack in the Red Sea.

“Upon the recommendation of our security advisors, it was decided to withhold this information until the vessel and her crew were in safe waters,” the company said in a statement.

Following the attack, Israel’s military said it had deployed one of its most advanced warships, a Sa’ar 6 class corvette, in the Red Sea.

The U.S. Navy destroyer Mason responded to the STRINDA’s distress calls and assisted the crew, which was grappling with a fire, the U.S. military said. It said the STRINDA was struck on Monday night by a land-based cruise missile fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen.

“The actions that we’ve seen by these Houthis forces are destabilizing, they’re dangerous,” Pentagon spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder told a press conference on Tuesday.

“So, this is an international problem that requires an international solution,” Ryder said. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would be travelling to the Middle East next week, including to Israel, Qatar and Bahrain, he said.

The Houthis have waded into the Israel-Hamas conflict – which has spread around the region – attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

On Saturday, they said they would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.

Gaza War Ripples Through Region

The Gaza conflict has already spread to other parts of the region, with Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah trading fire and Iranian-backed militias attacking bases of U.S. forces in Iraq.

French frigate FREMM Languedoc intercepted and destroyed a drone that was threatening the STRINDA in a complex aerial attack originating from Yemen, the French defence ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The STRINDA had loaded vegetable oil and biofuels in Malaysia and was headed for Venice, data from shiptracking firm Kpler showed. Italian energy firm Eni confirmed the ship was carrying 15 thousand tons of residues and waste from vegetable oil processing destined for Eni’s biorefineries in Italy.

Houthi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government.

The Houthi spokesman said the group would continue blocking ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into the Gaza Strip. Israel denies restricting the entry of food, water, medicines and shelter into the Gaza Strip, which its forces have bombarded in retaliation against Hamas for the Oct. 7 attack.

US Ship Responds To Strinda

Norway’s deputy foreign minister Eivind Vad Petersson said in a statement: “Norway condemns in the strongest possible terms all attacks on civilian shipping.”

The attack took place about 60 nautical miles (111 km) north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at about 2100 GMT, a U.S. official told Reuters. A second U.S. official said the STRINDA was able to move under its own power in the hours after the attack.

“There were no U.S. ships in the vicinity at the time of the attack, but the (U.S. Navy destroyer) USS MASON responded to the M/T STRINDA’s mayday call,” the U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

The attack caused damage but no casualties, the U.S. military said.

The Houthi spokesman said that the group had managed to obstruct the passage of several ships in recent days, acting in support of the Palestinians.

The Houthis are one of several groups in the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” that have been taking aim at Israeli and U.S. targets.

During the first week of December, three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters, prompting a U.S. Navy destroyer to intervene.

Last month the Houthis also seized a British-owned cargo ship that had links with an Israeli company.

The United States and Britain have condemned the attacks on shipping, blaming Iran for its role in supporting the Houthis. Tehran says its allies make their decisions independently.

Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to show restraint in responding to the attacks.

The Iran-backed Houthis said on Tuesday they carried out a military operation against a Norwegian commercial tanker in their latest protest against Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, underlining the risks of a conflict that has shaken the Middle East.

“We emphasize that we are doing everything in order to act fully and to maintain open gateways to Israel despite the challenges of the war,” the port said in a statement.

Israel relies on its maritime trade for imports and its exports. Ashdod in the south and Haifa in the north are the country’s biggest ports.

The smaller port of Ashkelon, which is the closest to Gaza, has shut for the moment due to the war.

Norway’s Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, owner of the Strinda tanker which was attacked by the Houthis, said on Tuesday that, while there was no Israeli link to the ownership or management of the vessel, the ship was “tentatively nominated” by her charterers for a cargo out of Ashdod in January.

“Owners had an option to cancel the contract if such a worsening of the situation would take place,” Mowinckel Chemical Tankers said.

“Upon the recommendation of our security advisors, it was decided to withhold this information until the vessel and her crew were in safe waters.”

The Port of Ashdod declined to comment, but added in the statement that “we are prepared and are working to absorb any operational activity it terms of loading and discharging that is required”.

The group targeted the tanker with a rocket after the crew refused to respond to all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sareea said in a televised statement.

He added that the group had managed to obstruct the passage of several ships in recent days, acting in support of the Palestinians.

He vowed that the Houthis would continue blocking all ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into the Gaza Strip – more than 1,000 miles from the Houthi seat of power in Sanaa.

The Iran-aligned group hit the tanker, the STRINDA, with a rocket because it was delivering crude oil to an Israeli terminal and after its crew ignored all warnings, Houthi military spokesperson Yehia Sarea said in a statement.

But the tanker’s owner, Norway’s Mowinckel Chemical Tankers, said the vessel was headed to Italy with a cargo of palm oil to be used in biofuels. It was not planning to stop in Israel, a company’s spokesperson told Reuters.

The Houthis have waded into the Israel-Hamas conflict – which has spread around the region since Oct. 7 – attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.

On Saturday, they said they would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.

The Gaza conflict has already spread to other parts of the region, with Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah trading fire and Iranian-backed militias attacking Iraqi bases that hold American forces.

French frigate FREMM Languedoc intercepted and destroyed a drone that was threatening the STRINDA in a complex aerial attack originating from Yemen, the French defence ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

It said the attack had taken place in the evening of Monday Dec. 11 and had caused a fire on board the tanker, which was sailing under the Norwegian flag.

The STRINDA had loaded vegetable oil and biofuels in Malaysia and was headed for Venice, data from shiptracking firm Kpler showed.

Houthi officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government.

The Houthi spokesman vowed the group would continue blocking ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into the Gaza Strip.

Norway’s deputy foreign minister Eivind Vad Petersson said the attack was unacceptable.

“Norway condemns in the strongest possible terms all attacks on civilian shipping,” he said in a statement.

The attack took place about 60 nautical miles (111 km) north of the Bab al-Mandab Strait connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden at about 2100 GMT, a U.S. official told Reuters. A second U.S. official said the STRINDA was able to move under its own power in the hours after the attack.

“There were no U.S. ships in the vicinity at the time of the attack, but the (U.S. Navy destroyer) USS MASON responded to the M/T STRINDA’s mayday call and is currently rendering assistance,” the U.S. military’s Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

The attack caused a fire and damage but no casualties, the U.S. military said in a statement.

“Axis Of Resistance”

The Houthi spokesman said that the group had managed to obstruct the passage of several ships in recent days, acting in support of the Palestinians.

The tanker’s manager, Hansa Tankers, could not be immediately reached for comment outside office hours.

The Houthis are one of several groups in the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” that have been taking aim at Israeli and U.S. targets since their Palestinian ally Hamas attacked Israel.

During the first week of December, three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters, prompting a U.S. Navy destroyer to intervene.

Last month the Houthis also seized a British-owned cargo ship that had links with an Israeli company.

The United States and Britain have condemned the attacks on shipping, blaming Iran for its role in supporting the Houthis. Tehran says its allies make their decisions independently.

Saudi Arabia has asked the United States to show restraint in responding to the attacks.

Earlier Wednesday, the Mason, a U.S. Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, shot down a drone that originated from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthi group, a U.S. official said.

There were no injuries or damage and it was not clear what the drone was targeting.

It is the sixth time the U.S. Navy has fired upon drones in the southern Red Sea since war broke out between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7 and comes amid a series of attacks on commercial vessels in Middle Eastern waters.

The Houthi group’s statement said it would continue to “carry out their military operations against the Israeli enemy, as well as implementing the decision to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Arab and Red Seas in support of the oppressed Palestinian people.”

The Houthis, an ally of Tehran, have been launching long-range missile and drone salvoes at Israel and Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinian Hamas militants fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier on Wednesday, Britain’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency and British maritime security company Ambrey reported an incident involving a suspected drone over the Red Sea west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

UKMTO warned vessels transiting the area to exercise caution.

The U.S. military said on Sunday that three commercial vessels had come under attack in the southern Red Sea.

Earlier this week, the Pentagon said the waves of attacks by the Houthi group in Yemen may not be targeting U.S. warships, even though the U.S. Navy has responded by shooting down drone aircraft and missiles.

Yemen’s Houthi group on Sunday claimed drone and missile attacks on two Israeli vessels in the area, saying in a broadcast that the attacks came in response to the demands of Yemenis and calls from Muslim countries to stand with the Palestinian people.

The Iran-aligned Houthis have waded into the conflict that has spread around the Middle East since war erupted on Oct. 7, attacking vessels in vital shipping lanes and firing drones and missiles at Israel itself.

The group which rules much of Yemen says its attacks are a show of support for the Palestinians and has vowed they will continue until Israel stops its offensive on the Gaza Strip – more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in Sanaa.

The Houthis are one of several groups in the Iran-aligned “Axis of Resistance” which have been attacking Israeli and U.S. targets since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, when their Palestinian ally Hamas sparked the war by attacking Israel.

Their role has added to the conflict’s regional risks, threatening sea lanes through which much of the world’s oil shipped, and worrying states on the Red Sea as Houthi rockets and drones fly towards Israel.

Riyadh, the world’s top oil exporter, has watched with alarm as Houthi missiles have been fired over its territory.

With the Houthis stepping up attacks on shipping over the past weeks, two sources familiar with Saudi thinking said Riyadh’s message of restraint to Washington aimed to avoid further escalation. Riyadh was so far pleased with the way the United States was handling the situation, the sources added.

“They pressed the Americans about this and why the Gaza conflict should stop,” one of the sources said.

The White House declined to comment.

The Saudi government did not respond to an emailed request for a comment on the discussions.

As Saudi Arabia presses for a ceasefire to halt what it has called a “barbaric war” in Gaza, its diplomacy reflects a wider policy aimed at promoting regional stability after years of confrontation with Iran and its allies.

Focused on expanding and diversifying the Saudi economy, Riyadh this year normalised ties with Tehran and is seeking to exit the war it has been waging with the Houthis in Yemen for nearly nine years.

The sources said Saudi Arabia was seeking to advance the Yemen peace process even as war rages in Gaza, worrying it could be derailed. Yemen has enjoyed more than a year of relative calm amid direct peace talks between Saudi and Houthi officials.

The Houthi attacks during the Hamas-Israel war have elevated their profile in the Iran-aligned camp which also includes Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias in Iraq.

The Houthis have emerged as a major military force in the Arabian Peninsula, with tens of thousands of fighters and a huge arsenal of ballistic missiles and armed drones.

Senior sources in the Iran-aligned camp told Reuters the Houthi attacks were part of an effort to put pressure on Washington to get Israel to halt the Gaza offensive, a goal that Iran shares with Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region.

One of the sources, who is based in Tehran, said Houthi representatives had discussed their attacks with Iranian officials during a meeting in Tehran in November, agreeing to carry out actions in a “controlled” way that would help force an end to the Gaza war. The source was briefed on the matter.

Another of the sources said Tehran did not seek “all-out war in the region” that would risk drawing it in directly.

A Houthi spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Iran has denied being involved in the attacks. Iranian officials did not respond to a request for comment on the Houthi attacks.

Destroyer Downs Drones

The United States and Britain have condemned the attacks on shipping, blaming Iran for its role in supporting the Houthis. Tehran says its allies make their decisions independently.

In one of the latest incidents, three commercial vessels came under attack in international waters on Sunday. The Houthis said they had fired at what they said were two Israeli vessels. Israel denied any link to the ships.

A U.S. Navy destroyer, the Carney, shot down three drones as it answered distress calls from the vessels, which the U.S. military said were connected to 14 separate nations.

The Pentagon said on Monday the Carney had taken action as a drone was headed in its direction, but that it could not assess if the warship was the intended target.

Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh stopped short of using language that could suggest any imminent U.S. retaliation against the Houthis. Asked if the United States might retaliate, Singh said: “If we decide to take action against the Houthis, it will of course be at a time and place of our choosing.”

An Iranian diplomat said Tehran and Washington had exchanged messages through intermediaries about Houthi attacks since the start of the Hamas-Israel war. The diplomat, who was involved in exchanging the messages, said both called for restraint.

Iran on Tuesday denied any role in attacks or actions against U.S. forces.

“The drones were shot down while the U.S. warship was on patrol in the Red Sea. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury,” the post said.

Kirby’s comment was significant because one of the Biden administration’s first acts after taking office in January 2021 was revoking terrorist designations of the Houthis over fears the sanctions they carried could worsen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.

The Iran-backed Houthis, who have been sending drones and long-range missiles at Israel in solidarity with Hamas, seized the Galaxy Leader cargo ship on Sunday in the southern Red Sea, describing it as Israeli-owned.

Kirby called the Houthis’ seizure of the vessel a “flagrant violation of international law” in which “Iran is complicit.”

“In light of this, we have begun a review of potential terrorist designations and we will be considering other options as well with our allies and partners as well,” Kirby said at a White House press briefing. He called for the immediate release of the ship and its international crew.

The Bahamas-flagged car carrier is chartered by Japan’s Nippon Yusen. It is owned by a firm registered under Isle of Man-headquartered Ray Car Carriers, which is a unit of Tel Aviv-incorporated Ray Shipping, according to LSEG data.

Iran has denied involvement in the seizure of the ship, which the car carrier’s owner on Monday said was taken to the Houthi-controlled southern Yemen port of Hodeidah.

Yemen erupted in civil war after the Houthis, members of the Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam, seized the capital Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year.

Although a U.N.-brokered ceasefire collapsed in October 2022, Yemen has enjoyed relative calm as the Houthis and Saudi Arabia negotiate a settlement.

The country remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with some 21.6 million people – about two-thirds of the population – dependent on aid, according to the United Nations.

The Trump administration blacklisted the Houthis a day before its term ended, prompting the United Nations, aid groups and some U.S. lawmakers to express fears that sanctions would disrupt flows of food, fuel and other commodities into Yemen.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Feb. 12, 2021, revoked the designations in “recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”