Houthis renew threats against 'all Israeli ships' for Gaza blockade

Yemen-based Houthi militants have renewed their threats against Israeli shipping after Israel blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza, saying vessels with strong links to the country would be targeted in regional waters.

“All Israeli ships” are now “banned” from passing through the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea, according to a statement from the Yemeni Armed Forces released late March 11 on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The announcement came after the Houthis gave Israel a four-day ultimatum on March 7 to resume the aid. In an apparent attempt to clarify what an Israeli ship is, Houthis’ Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center said in a separate statement March 12 that “ships wholly owned by Israeli individuals or entities, and/or flying the Israeli flag” would be targeted.

It’s not immediately known whether the maritime threat level would increase due to the latest development. Previously, the Iran-backed rebel group Jan. 19 announced a halt of attacks on all vessels except for such Israeli ships.

Security consultancy Ambrey described the Houthi announcement as “ambiguous” and suggested further evidence would be required to conclude whether the Houthis would seek to attack ships managed, operated or partially owned by Israelis and those owned by companies with port calls in Israel.

“No mention was made of America or Britain in the statement, nor the Indian Ocean or Mediterranean Sea,” Ambrey said in a note.

The Houthis have claimed to attack over 130 ships they say are associated with Israel, the US and the UK since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October 2023, but industry participants said many ships without apparent links to the countries were also targeted.

Oil transits through the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea fell to 2.5 million b/d in 2024 from 6.9 million b/d in 2023, while those via the Suez Canal dropped to 3.9 million b/d from 7.9 million b/d, according to S&P Global Commodities at Sea.

LNG ship transits via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal have been halted for over a year due to increased attacks on merchant ships.

In a rare move for LNG ships, the Salalah LNG, an Oman LNG carrier, passed through the Bab al-Mandab Strait and Red Sea shipping route in February, according to CAS data, but major shipping companies remain sidelined from the key waterway.

There have been no reports of Houthi attacks since late 2024 before the January announcement, but shipping professionals expect normal traffic to only resume gradually in the coming months without further Houthi attacks.

The latest IMF PortWatch data showed that average daily ship transits via the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the southern tip of the Red Sea stood at 31 in the week ended March 2, compared with a normal level of more than 70.

Political development

The Houthis’ threats on merchant shipping have been intertwined with geopolitical developments in the Middle East, with the group's earlier announcement of a pull-out coinciding with the beginning of an Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement.

Israeli authorities have blocked humanitarian aid to Gaza since early March to gain an upper hand during the talks for an extension of the ceasefire, and the Houthis suggest the latest “ban” on Israeli shipping will continue until the blockade is lifted.

In parallel, the US earlier this month designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization and sanctioned seven Houthi members, and one affiliated operative and his company, for weapon procurement from Russia, shipments, recruiting Yemenis to fight for Russia in the Ukraine war, and generating revenue to support military operations.

One of the sanctioned individuals had communicated with China and Russia to ensure ships linked to the two countries would not be attacked by the Houthis, the US Treasury said in a statement March 5.