Sanaa: Tens of thousands of Yemenis who support the Houthi group protested Friday in solidarity with Palestinians, rejecting U.S.-British sanctions on Houthi senior officials and denouncing airstrikes on northern Yemen.

Participants waved Palestinian-Yemeni flags, held placards with images of Houthi leaders and chanted slogans against the United States and Israel.

Hatem al-Mahaqri, a protester, said they came to stand by the oppressed people in Gaza and share their suffering. “Our participation shows our steadfast position on the Palestinian issue and our brothers in Gaza.”

Earlier Friday, Yahya Sarea, a Houthi military spokesman, said in a statement that their naval forces fired several missiles at a British oil tanker, Marlin Luanda, in the Gulf of Aden, causing a fire.

The United States re-designated the Houthi group as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” on Jan. 17, a move the group dismissed as politically motivated.

The Houthis have stepped up their attacks in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, demanding an end to Israeli assaults and siege on Gaza.

The Houthis have controlled much of northern Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, since they drove out the internationally recognized Yemeni government in 2014.