Iran-backed Houthi rebels vow to keep attacking British shipping

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group said it will continue to attack British shipping in the Red Sea after sinking the MV Rubymar, which went under over the weekend.

"Yemen will continue to sink more British ships, and any repercussions or other damages will be added to Britain’s bill," Hussein al-Ezzias, deputy foreign minister in the Houthi group, said in a post on X on Sunday. He called the U.K. "a rogue state" that works with the U.S. "in sponsoring the ongoing crime against civilians in Gaza."

U.S. officials confirmed early Sunday that the Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, U.K.-registered vessel, had sunk two weeks after it was attacked on February 18. It’s the first vessel attacked by the Houthis to sink after the rebels started targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea last November.

"You can't mess around in my country and then go spend your evening at Fabric," al-Ezzias said. "Whoever harms Yemen, we will harm him."

Houthi militants have repeatedly attacked ships in the Red Sea region since November, saying they are targeting vessels linked to Israel in support of the Palestinians. Their missile and drone launches have upended global shipping, straining European supply chains and posing a threat to the Red Sea's unique coral reefs.

U.S. and U.K. forces have started striking Houthi sites in Yemen in retaliation.