Houthis say they will resume attacks on Israeli ships in Red Sea

Yemeni group's leader says 'ban' has entered into force

A Houthi supporter brandishes a weapon in Sanaa, Yemen, during a protest against Israel's blockade of Gaza aid on March 11. EPA

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Yemen's Houthis have said they will resume attacks on Israeli ships travelling in the Red Sea, after Israel failed to resume aid deliveries to Gaza.

“The decision to put a ban on the enemy's navigation through the Red Sea and Bab Al Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea has entered into force,” Abdul Malik Al Houthi said in a televised speech on Wednesday. “Any Israeli vessel transiting the declared operational area will be targeted. This is an operational step and a necessary stance.”

The group, which first made the announcement it would resume attacks late on Tuesday, last week threatened to reinstate the “ban” on Israeli vessels after a deadline passed for Israel to allow aid to flow into Gaza. Israel also announced at the weekend that it would cut electricity supplies to the coastal enclave.

After a ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel in Gaza, the Houthis said that they would halt attacks on most vessels in the Red Sea. This followed more than a year of strikes on merchant ships travelling on the major waterway, which led many operators to divert operations away from the area.

Some operators have begun re-entering the Red Sea area, but it is unclear how the resumption of hostilities will affect shipping.