Marcos: Filipino seafarers in Houthi custody safe from recent Israel attack

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Saturday that the 17 Filipino seafarers being held captive by the Houthis in Yemen were safe from the most recent Israeli attack against the group.

''I am gratified to inform the nation that none of our 17 seafarers currently in the custody of the Houthis were affected by the recent Israeli attack on the port of Hodeidah, Yemen. Our Embassy in Riyadh reports that they are all safe,'' Marcos said in a statement posted on X.

Marcos also assured the loved ones of the seafarers that ''our government has not forsaken them and that we are doing everything to secure their safe return home.''

Israeli fighter jets struck Houthi military targets near Yemen's Hodeidah port on July 20, killing at least three people and wounding 87, a day after a drone launched by the Houthis hit Israeli economic hub Tel Aviv.

Israel's military spokesperson said the port had been used by the Houthis to receive weapons shipments from Iran. The targets, more than 1,700 km (1,056 miles) from Israel, included dual-use sites such as energy infrastructure, he said.

The strike on Yemen, which Israeli officials said came after more than 200 Houthi attacks on Israel, underlined fears that the Gaza war, triggered by the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, could spiral into a regional conflict. 

''The Philippines once again joins the community of nations in calling for a speedy resolution of the current conflicts in the Middle East region, to the end that no more lives may be lost and all can live in peace,'' Marcos said. —with a report from Reuters/VBL, GMA Integrated News