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epa11085951 A scale bears the flags of the USA and Israel, in Sana'a, Yemen, 17 January 2024. The United States announced the designation of Yemen's Houthis as a global terror group amid an escalation of their attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden since November 2023. The US Department of Defense had announced in December 2023 a multinational operation to safeguard trade and to protect ships in the Red Sea amid the recent escalation in Houthi attacks. Houthis vowed to keep up attacks on Israeli-bound ships and prevent them from navigating in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in retaliation for Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, according to statements by Houthis' military spokesman Yahya Sarea. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB