Yemen's Houthis say new U.S.-led coalition won't stop their attacks on ships

SANAA, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi rebels on Tuesday said the new U.S.-led military coalition in the Red Sea would not stop their attacks on Israel-bound commercial ships.

"Our naval operations aim at supporting the Palestinian people in the face of Israeli aggression and siege on Gaza, and are not a show of force or a challenge to anyone," Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam said in a statement carried by Houthi-controlled Saba news agency.

"The coalition formed by America is to protect Israel and militarize the sea without any justification," he said.

On Monday, the United States announced a 10-nation coalition to quell Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea.

"As America allowed itself to support Israel by forming an alliance, we also have full right to support Palestine ... and whoever seeks to expand the conflict must bear the consequences of his actions," the Houthi spokesman added.

Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, demanding an end to Israel's aggression on the Gaza Strip and the delivery of food and medicine supplies to the enclave.

The Houthis control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and the strategic port city of Hodeidah on the coast of the Red Sea, where up to 12 percent of world trade passes through.

Britain, France, and Italy are among the U.S.-led multinational military coalition to secure the Red Sea.