Sanaa, March 12 (IANS) Yemen’s Houthi group announced the resumption of attacks against Israeli ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea on Tuesday said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV that the attacks were resumed to support the Palestinians and pressure Israel to reopen the border crossings for the entry of aid into Gaza.
On Friday, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi issued a four-day ultimatum to Israel, demanding the allowance of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave, or his group would resume naval attacks, Xinhua news agency reported.
Previously, al-Houthi had warned of resuming attacks on Israeli cities and Israeli-linked commercial vessels in the Red Sea if Israel continued to violate the Gaza ceasefire.
The Houthis had launched numerous drone and missile attacks targeting Israeli cities and commercial ships in the Red Sea in support of the Palestinians between November 2023 and January 19, 2025, when the Hamas-Israel ceasefire took effect.
The group also attacked US aircraft carriers and naval vessels, vowing to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait if the US continued military shipments to Israel.
The Houthi attacks ceased following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. However, the group now threatens to resume operations if the blockade on Gaza is not lifted.
The Houthi group, which controls large swathes of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, has previously targeted vessels they say are linked to Israel in the Red Sea as support for Palestinians during the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has targeted the Houthis in Yemen five times during the ongoing conflict.
–IANS
int/rs
