ATHENS (GREECE): The rebel Houthi group in Yemen has said it will target merchant ships belonging to any company that does business with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality, as part of what it described as the next phase of its operations against Israel.
The Iran-backed Houthis launched a campaign targeting merchant vessels in response to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, saying they were doing so in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea through which $1 trillion of goods usually passes each year.
In an announcement late Sunday night, the Houthis said they had decided to escalate their military support operations and begin implementing the fourth phase of the naval blockade against Israel.
They warned that they would target all ships belonging to any company that deals with the ports of the Israeli enemy, regardless of the nationality of that company, and in any location within the reach of our armed forces. The vessels would be targeted regardless of their destination, they added.
The group said countries should pressure Israel to stop the war in Gaza and lift its blockade on the Palestinian territory if they want to avoid this escalation.
Earlier this month, the Houthis attacked and sank two Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carriers the Magic Seas and the Eternity C. The attack on the latter left four crew members dead and 11 more were taken captive, while all 22 crew members of the Magic Seas were rescued before the ship sank.
From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones.
The rebels stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war and later became the target of an intense, weekslong airstrike campaign ordered by the U.S. President Donald Trump.
In May, the U.S. announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to shipping attacks, although the rebel group said the agreement did not include halting attacks on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.