Several Russian warships have passed the Bab al-Mandab Strait into the Red Sea, the Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet said on Thursday, amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on merchant shipping.
The Zvezda TV channel, owned by the defense ministry, quoted the fleet as saying the Russian cruiser Varyag and the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov were taking part in the voyage.
Houthi terrorists in Yemen have repeatedly attacked ships passing through the Bab al-Mandab Strait in the Red Sea since November in support of Palestinians, the terror organization claims. The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks as long as Israel continues to commit “crimes against Palestinians.”
In February, the Houthis attacked the Rubymar cargo ship on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which sunk at the beginning of March. The ship, containing 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer, presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea.