19 February 2024
Chairman of the Supreme Political Council of the Houthi group in Yemen Mahdi Al-Mashat has confirmed that his group will not back down from supporting the Gaza Strip, regardless of the challenges and results following the attacks on Gaza on 7 October.
This statement made in a speech he delivered before a massive demonstration in the capital, Sanaa, called for by the Houthi group in support of Gaza.
In front of tens of thousands of demonstrators, Al-Mashat expressed: “Our position is firm, both on the official and popular level, regarding supporting our oppressed brothers in Gaza on the basis of faith, morals and values, and we cannot back down from this position, regardless of the challenges and results.”
He called for: “An immediate halt to the aggression and the lifting of the siege on Gaza because that is the only solution and option for the Israelis, no matter how much aggression or attacks they commit.”
Regarding the continuation of the US-British raids on Yemen, Al-Mashat commented: “Anyone who attacks our country will be met with a response, whatever the results.”
Since 19 November, the Houthi group has begun targeting Israeli cargo ships or those linked to the occupation in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, noting that this will not stop until the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip ceases.
This led to an increase in the cost of shipping globally after many companies avoided the important shipping corridor, the Suez Canal, taking longer routes. Washington and London responded by forming an international coalition that launched missile and air strikes on Houthi sites in various areas in Yemen. This did not deter the Houthi group from continuing its attacks, announcing that they had now included all US and British ships.
