Houthis Escalate Maritime Conflict with Strikes on Commercial Vessels

Houthi rebels have announced an expansion of their maritime operations, targeting vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Cape of Good Hope route in the Atlantic Ocean, as part of their support for Palestinians. They have already conducted operations against Israeli and U.S. ships, and are tightening cooperation with Palestinian factions. The rebels have received praise from the "axis of resistance" for their impact on Israel and have claimed to possess hypersonic missiles, posing a significant challenge to missile defense systems.