Russian says several of its warships enter Red Sea amid Houthi attacks

Several Russian warships have passed the Bab al-Mandab Strait into the Red Sea, the Russian navy’s Pacific Fleet says, amid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on merchant shipping.

The Zvezda TV channel, owned by the defense ministry, quotes the fleet as saying the Russian cruiser Varyag and the frigate Marshal Shaposhnikov are taking part in the voyage.

The Houthis belong to the “axis of resistance,” a collection of Iran-backed movements hostile to Israel and the United States that also includes Hamas, Hezbollah and Iraqi militias.

The Houthis have attacked Red Sea shipping for months since the Israel-Hamas war was triggered by Hamas’s October 7 attack, saying they are targeting Israeli-linked vessels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

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