"The Americans and the British failed to secure the passage of any ship heading to Israel. They can no longer protect even American-British ships, and this is a real and major victory for us," Abdul Malik al-Houthi said in a televised speech. Houthi militants, who control Yemen's most populous regions, have repeatedly fired on international commercial ships since mid-November. Their targets have been vessels with commercial ties to the United States, Britain or Israel, according to shipping and insurance sources. Houthi operations in the Red Sea, he said, were "legitimate (ones) to help support the people of Gaza and lift the siege being imposed on them."

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Persons: Yemen's, Houthis, Abdul Malik al, Houthi, Mohamed Ghabori, Adam Makary, Gareth Jones, Mark Heinrich Organizations: British Locations: CAIRO, Yemen's Iran, Aden, Israel, British, United States, Britain, Gaza, Red, Yemen