- Houthis threaten to target vessels heading to Israeli ports
- Tensions escalate over Israeli operations in Gaza
- Hamas delegation plans armistice talks amid ongoing conflict
A televised address by Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree stated that the group would engage vessels en route to Israeli ports in any region within their operational range.
Saree stated on Friday, “We will engage in aerial bombardment against vessels en route to Israeli ports in the Mediterranean Sea from any accessible location.” Furthermore, she stated that the decision would be executed “immediately, and from the moment this statement is announced.”
Since November, the Houthis, an organization affiliated with Iran, have conducted a series of drone and missile assaults against vessels in the vital maritime routes of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea. They claim that these actions are in support of the Palestinian people and opposition to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
These circumstances have compelled shipping companies to reroute cargo via more protracted and costly routes around southern Africa, thereby exacerbating concerns regarding the potential for the Israeli war on Gaza to escalate and disrupt the region.
Saree further justified the group’s decision in his address by referencing an impending “aggressive military operation” in the city of Rafah, located in southern Gaza, where over 1.5 million Palestinians are presently seeking refuge.
Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has issued a threat to deploy ground forces into the daily-bombed city of Rafah. The prospective Israeli ground offensive has generated condemnation from around the world and demands that the Israeli government cease its preparations.
Netanyahu stated that a Rafah operation would occur irrespective of the outcome of the armistice agreement between Israel and Hamas.
In the coming days, a Hamas delegation is scheduled to travel to Egypt for additional indirect armistice negotiations aimed at “ending the aggression against” the Gazatarian people, the Palestinian organization Hamas said in a statement.
Significant obstacles have arisen during negotiations. Hamas has maintained its stance on rejecting any agreement that fails to ensure a lasting cessation of hostilities, the eventual removal of Israeli forces from Gaza in their entirety, and the unimpeded repatriation of displaced families to their residences.
However, an Israeli proposition calls for a forty-day ceasefire and the exchange of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners for dozens of Israeli detainees.
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Saree, a spokesperson for the Houthis, added that the failure to achieve a lasting cessation of hostilities is an additional factor influencing their choice to target vessels en route to Israeli harbors.
He claimed that until the aggression ceases and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted, “the Yemeni armed forces… will not hesitate to prepare for more extensive and potent stages of escalation.”
At least 34,622 Palestinians have been killed, a significant portion of the besieged enclave has been destroyed, approximately 1.7 million people have been displaced from their homes, and northern Gaza has been driven to the verge of famine by Israeli forces since October 7.
Since January, a military coalition led by the United States has been conducting airstrikes against Houthi targets; however, the Yemeni group has persisted in its assaults on Red Sea shipping lanes.
