The military spokesman for the Houthi group, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced that the Ansar Allah movement targeted an American commercial ship just hours after striking the USS Griffith. The statement from the Yemeni armed forces said: "In defense of the oppressed Palestinian people, who are under ongoing Israeli aggression, and as part of the response to the American and British aggression against our country, the naval forces of the Yemeni armed forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the American commercial ship 'Kohl,' which was heading to the ports of occupied Palestine with several suitable naval missiles directly hitting it."
The statement continued: "This operation comes just hours after the naval forces in the Yemeni armed forces targeted the American destroyer (USS Griffith) with several naval missiles in the Red Sea, achieving direct and precise hits thanks to God. The Yemeni armed forces are also continuing to provide support and assistance to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip by preventing Israeli navigation or ships heading to the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red and Arab seas until the aggression ceases and food and medicine are delivered to the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip."
It concluded: "The Yemeni armed forces will respond to American and British escalation with escalation, and will not hesitate to carry out extensive and qualitative military operations in response to any American-British folly against our dear Yemen. We also affirm that all American and British ships in the Red and Arab seas are legitimate targets for the Yemeni armed forces as long as the aggression against our country continues."
