 Iran backed Houthis preparing for a long war with US, UK and Israel in Red Sea. Yemen's Houthis backed by Iran are preparing for a long war with the United States of America and its allies in the Red Sea, regardless of how the war between Israel and Hamas militants plays out, reports Bloomberg. It is reported that the Yemen-based group is strengthening its military and defense capabilities to continue attacking ships in the important waterway. According to the sources, the Houthis are strengthening mountain shelters for safer and more effective missile launches and are testing unmanned vessels above and below water. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen and has been at war with the Houthis for most of the past decade, is particularly concerned that the Houthis could damage key internet cables that run along the seabed. The same time, the publication notes that there is currently no suggestion of such a plan or that the Houthis have the means to implement it. Houthis have announced they have banned vessels linked to Israel, the United States and United Kingdom from sailing in surrounding seas as the rebels seek to reinforce their military campaign, which they say is in support of Palestinians in Gaza. The Houthis' Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center sent formal notices of the ban to shipping insurers and firms operating in the region. The Houthis' communication, the first to the shipping industry outlining a formalized ban in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, came in the form of two notices. It affects vessels wholly or partially owned by Israeli, American and British individuals or entities as well as those sailing under their flags. The warning came amid continuing Houthi attacks that have disrupted international trade on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia and counterattacks by US and British forces hoping to deter the rebels since November of last year. Attacks by the Yemeni Houthis on commercial vessels connected to Israel have continued in the Red Sea.