Houthis Vow to Attack All Ships Linked to Israeli Ports
Yemen's Houthis announced a "fourth phase" of escalation, threatening to attack any ship from companies dealing with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality or destination. The threat, reported by Sky News Arabia, follows intense regional clashes and accusations of war crimes.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Yemen’s Houthi group has dramatically escalated its maritime campaign, threatening to target all ships belonging to any company that deals with Israeli ports, regardless of the vessel’s nationality or destination. The announcement, reported by Sky News Arabia, marks what the Iran-aligned group calls the "fourth phase" of its military operations, significantly widening the scope of its attacks and escalating an already volatile conflict in the Red Sea.
In a televised statement cited by Sky News Arabia, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree declared that the group would begin implementing this new phase of its naval blockade immediately. According to the report, the group’s statement warned that any shipping company ignoring the directive will have its vessels attacked "in any place that can be reached or that our missiles and drones can reach."
The Houthi group explicitly called on all international shipping companies to "cease their dealings with Israeli ports, effective from the moment this statement was announced," Sky News Arabia reported.
This major escalation follows a recent and intense cycle of direct military exchanges and mounting international condemnation. On Friday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israeli territory. This came just days after the Houthis launched a five-drone attack on July 22, targeting Israeli sites including Ben Gurion Airport and the ports of Eilat and Ashdod. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree stated that operation was direct retaliation for a "significant strike" by the IDF a day earlier on Yemen's key port of Hodeida, which a Houthi official confirmed had destroyed the port's newly rebuilt dock.
The Houthis' expanding campaign has also drawn severe criticism from human rights organizations. On Wednesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) declared that recent Houthi attacks that sank two commercial cargo vessels, the MV Magic Seas and the MV Eternity C, between July 6 and 9 were violations of the laws of war amounting to war crimes. HRW’s report stated it found no evidence the ships were legitimate military targets or had any connection to Israel, noting the attacks resulted in crew deaths and unlawful detentions.
"The Houthis have sought to justify unlawful attacks by pointing to Israeli violations against Palestinians,” said Niku Jafarnia, a researcher at HRW. “The Houthis should end all attacks on ships not taking part in the conflict.”
The sinkings have also created a major environmental hazard, with satellite imagery showing large oil slicks drifting from the wrecks toward a protected nature reserve off Eritrea’s coast.
The ability of the Houthis to sustain and escalate their attacks has been linked by regional and international powers to support from Iran. This link was highlighted on July 16, when Yemeni forces led by Brigadier General Tariq Saleh, Deputy Chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, announced the seizure of a massive 750-ton Iranian arms shipment allegedly bound for the Houthi militias. The seized cache reportedly included advanced naval and aerial missile systems, drones, and an air defense system. Saleh framed the operation as part of "ongoing efforts to counter attempts to arm the Houthi militias." The United States, the UN, and Saudi Arabia have long accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with sophisticated weapons in violation of a UN arms embargo, a charge Tehran consistently denies.
In response to the renewed aggression, Israel has urged the United States to restart military operations against the Houthis and form a broader international coalition, according to a report by The Times of Israel. Israeli officials reportedly told Washington that the Houthi threat "can no longer remain solely an Israeli problem." This diplomatic push followed a breakdown of a May ceasefire between the Houthis and the US.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi has vowed to continue the attacks “as long as the aggression and siege of Gaza persist,” tying the Red Sea conflict directly to the wider war between Israel and Hamas.
