The Iran-backed Houthi insurgents of Yemen issued a warning to international shipping companies on Wednesday that they intend to resume missile and drone attacks against “any Israeli vessel” passing through the Red Sea. The Houthis suspended their attacks in January after Israel announced a ceasefire in Gaza.
The Houthis have an ironically-named “Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center” whose purpose is to make terrorist threats against civilian vessels. The name was chosen to reinforce the Houthi claim that their Red Sea piracy is supposed to improve humanitarian aid deliveries to the Palestinians.
On Wednesday, this organ of the Houthi regime published a statement warning that “any Israeli vessel” attempting to violate the Houthis’ “ban” on passage through the Red Sea would be “subject to military targeting in the declared operational area.”
The Houthi military, which refers to itself as Ansar Allah (“Army of Allah”), insisted that its actions “stem from a deep sense of religious, humanitarian and moral responsibility toward the oppressed Palestinian people and aim to pressure the Israeli usurper entity to reopen the crossings to the Gaza Strip and allow the entry of aid, including food and medical supplies.”
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree released a video message on social media in which he said the “operational area” of terror attacks would include “the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden.”
Saree said Houthi leadership gave Israel a four-day deadline on Friday to allow more “humanitarian aid” into Gaza. The Israelis did not meet this deadline to the Houthis’ satisfaction.
“The ban will remain in effect until crossings into the Gaza Strip are reopened and aid, food, and medicine are allowed in,” Saree said.
Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), welcomed the Houthi threats. PIJ hailed Saree’s statement as “a bold step aimed at pressuring the [Zionist] entity and its backers to reopen the crossings and allow aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.”
Hamas said the resumption of Houthi attacks would be “an extension of the support and backing Ansarallah has provided throughout the war of extermination in Gaza.”
Of course, the Houthis and Palestinian militants neglected to mention that Israel closed the Gaza borders on March 1 after Hamas rejected a proposed ceasefire extension and insisted on continuing to hold Israeli hostages.
Hamas still holds 63 Israelis kidnapped during its barbaric October 7, 2023 assault on Israeli civilians. 24 of the hostages are believed to be alive. Some of the hostages Hamas released as part of the ceasefire deal were brutally murdered by their captors, including young children, and their bodies were desecrated in savage rituals before they were returned to their families.
“Israel will not allow a ceasefire without a release of our hostages. If Hamas persists in its refusal, there will be additional consequences,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on March 1.
The Israeli government also accused Hamas of stealing supplies meant for civilians – a longstanding practice by the Palestinian terrorist group – and said Israel has no obligation under international law to allow shipments of supplies that can be confiscated by military enemies.
Israel is nevertheless under heavy international pressure to lift its blockade of Gaza. The Houthis are unlikely to improve the situation by resuming their Red Sea piracy, especially since they have a habit of inventing “Israeli ownership” claims for any ship they feel like targeting.
Maritime security firm Aubrey warned on Wednesday that the “ambiguous” threats of the Houthis put all civilian traffic through the Red Sea at risk.
Aubrey warned that Houthi attacks may well target “ships partially owned by Israeli individuals or entities, vessels managed and/or operated by Israeli individuals or entities, vessels heading to Israel and to ships of companies that call Israel.”
The U.S. military said on Wednesday that forces in the Red Sea region, including the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, will “remain vigilant” for any hostile activity.
The Houthis were designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government until President Joe Biden lifted their designation early in his term, in a profoundly unsuccessful effort to improve their behavior. The Biden administration dithered over naming the Houthis as terrorists again after they conducted dozens of attacks at sea, but never took action. President Donald Trump ordered the designation restored, and the State Department did so on March 10, 2025.
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