Houthi Leader Says UK Unable to Shoot Down Their Hypersonic Missiles
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DOHA (Sputnik) - Yemen's Houthi rebels said last November they would attack Israeli-linked ships passing through the Red Sea in retaliation for the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. They have since launched dozens of attacks on ships in the region, prompting retaliatory airstrikes from the UK and the US.
The leader of the Shiite Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) ruling in northern Yemen, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said the commanders of the UK naval forces admit their inability to shoot down hypersonic missiles launched from Yemen at their ships.
"British naval commanders acknowledge that they are facing missiles launched from Yemen at three times the speed of sound. They unequivocally admit their inability to shoot down these missiles or prevent their launch," al-Houthi said on Yemeni TV channel Al-Masirah.
The Houthi leader said there were ten operations involving 37 ballistic, cruise missiles and drones during the week when nine vessels were attacked, bringing the total number of Israeli, US and UK-linked vessels and warships attacked to 86.
The Houthis vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led the US and the European Union to announce a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces have launched numerous strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade their ability to target commercial vessels.
