Houthis promise safe passage for Chinese, Russian ships transiting through Red Sea

Russian and Chinese vessels transiting through the Red Sea will be granted safe passage, a senior Houthi official tells Russian outlet Izvestia in an interview.

Senior Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti insists the waters around Yemen, which some shipping firms are avoiding due to the ongoing aggression from the Iran-backed rebel group, are safe so long as vessels are not linked to certain countries, particularly Israel.

“As for all other countries, including Russia and China, their shipping in the region is not threatened,” he says.

“Moreover, we are ready to ensure the safe passage of their ships in the Red Sea, because free navigation plays a significant role for our country.”

Despite their insistence otherwise, the attacks carried out by the Houthi rebels have targeted ships with no apparent connection to Israel.

Attacks on vessels “in any way connected with Israel” will continue, he adds.