Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have opened a new front in the widening Middle East war, declaring a complete ban on navigation in the Red Sea on “enemy ships.”
After the war in the Middle East broke out, the Houthis voiced support for their ally in the face of a US-Israeli offensive, refraining from taking part while warning that they had their fingers “on the trigger”.
On June 8, they pulled it, announcing a total ban on Israeli ships in the Red Sea, warning that all Israeli maritime movements will be treated as legitimate military targets amid escalating regional tensions.
“We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea and we consider all enemy movements to be legitimate military targets for our Armed Forces from the movement this statement is issued,” the spokesman of the Yemeni Armed Forces Yahya Saree said Monday in a statement on X, warning that their “military operations will intensify.”
The military spokesperson for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, also declared that they had launched a “missile barrage” toward Israeli targets and that the group would “respond to escalation with escalation.”
The move comes as the US-Israeli conflict with Iran drags into a fourth month.
The threat is the latest escalation in a regional war, which has drawn Iran – and now Houthis – into confrontations with Israel and the US.
Iran has disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, since Israel and the US first attacked the country in February. Houthis have now signalled a complete ban on Israeli shipping, a move which heightens concerns among energy markets, particularly as the region copes with the closed Strait of Hormuz.
If both waterways are compromised, analysts say the effects would be severe, hitting supply chains, energy markets, and shipping costs worldwide.
On Monday, US president Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that Israel and Iran are seeking “an immediate ceasefire.”
“Final negotiations on “Peace” are proceeding, subject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way. The Blockade will remain in place, and in full force and effect, until a “Final Deal” is reached. Things should move quickly,” the president said.
The renewed hostilities have placed recent ceasefire efforts under severe strain and increased concerns about a wider regional conflict.
The latest declaration of Houthis comes at a time when the Strait of Hormuz, another critical shipping route, remains under pressure due to the broader regional conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States.
Experts warn that if both straits are compromised simultaneously, the consequences could ripple far beyond the region, severely impacting the energy sector and the shipping industry.
As the US maintains its naval presence in the Gulf, attention now shifts to the Red Sea and how to counter the renewed Houthi threat.
