Cairo [Egypt], March 17: Officials from Palestinian factions, including the Islamist Hamas movement, met a few days ago with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis to coordinate their activities, a regional television broadcaster reported on Saturday.
Houthi militants have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in what they say is retaliation for Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip.
Pro-Iran broadcaster Al Mayadeen, citing unidentified sources, reported that senior officials from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were reassured by the allied Houthis at the meeting that they will continue their operations in the Red Sea despite airstrikes by the United States and Britain.
The meeting, the venue of which was not disclosed, was part of preparedness for a possible escalation in the conflict during the current Islamic Holy Month of Ramadan and a potential Israeli offensive in the Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians have taken refuge after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the strip, according to the sources.
Because of the continuing Houthi attacks, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the shortest sea route between Asia and Europe and sailing around the much longer route of South Africa's Cape of Good Hope instead.
Source: Qatar Tribune