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(Reuters) - The international coalition formed by the U.S. to protect maritime navigation in the Red Sea is part of the aggression against the Palestinian people, the political bureau of Yemen's Houthi group said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the coalition contradicts international law.
The United States on Tuesday launched a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea as attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni militants forced major shipping companies to reroute, fuelling concern over sustained disruptions to global trade.
The Houthi group, which controls vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war, has since last month fired drones and missiles at international vessels sailing through the Red Sea - attacks it says respond to Israel's devastating assault on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
"The international coalition that America announced under the pretext of protecting maritime navigation in the Red Sea is an alliance to protect the Israeli entity and to protect Israeli ships. It is an integral part of the aggression against the Palestinian people, Gaza, and the Arab and Islamic nations," its politburo said.
"It aims to encourage the Zionist entity to continue its brutal crimes against the Palestinian people in Gaza, this coalition contradicts international law and does not protect maritime navigation, but rather threatens it and seeks to militarize the Red Sea for the benefit of the Israeli entity," the statement said.
"Yemen's armed forces don't represent any threat to any country, we only target Israeli ships or ships heading toward Israeli ports", it added.
"We affirm our steadfast position in supporting the Palestinian people until Israel’s aggression ends, and siege on the Gaza strip is lifted."
Earlier on Tuesday, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Supreme Yemeni Political Council, told Iranian Al-alam TV that any country that moves against Yemen will have its ships targeted in the Red Sea.
(Reporting By Mohammed Ghobari and Moaz Abd-Alaziz; Writing by Adam Makary and Moaz Abd-Alaziz; Editing by Franklin Paul and Diane Craft)
