It has been unclear for days whether the Houthi militia have agreed to the announced ceasefire in the Red Sea. Now comes certainty and new attacks.
The Yemeni group is planning to attack all ships that call at the port of the Israeli city of Haifa – regardless of which flag they fly.
According to a statement, the reason for the renewed attacks is Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip, which have recently drawn responses from the West. France, Great Britain and Canada announced sanctions against the Israeli government. President Netanyahu, in turn, declared that ending the war would mean a “huge reward for the genocidal attack on Israel on October 7” for Hamas and would invite the group to carry out further attacks.
Houthis “forbid” attempts in Haifa
The Houthis are now responding to the renewed escalation in the Gaza Strip with a far-reaching sea blockade of Haifa, Israel’s largest seaport. Houthi spokesman Ahmed Salah said that all ships were “forbidden” to call at Haifa. Ashdod and Eilat, the two other major ports, have not yet been named. However, Tradewinds magazine reported that calls at the port of Eilat had already decreased.
The Houthis will not be able to impose a direct blockade, as the self-proclaimed “holy fighters” lack the naval vessels to do so. However, they will be able to attack merchant ships calling at the port of Haifa. The Houthis are thus expanding their activities, which have so far been limited to the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In the past, there have been attacks in the Mediterranean that they have claimed for themselves, but there is no evidence of this. Even after weeks of US bombing in March and April, which ended with Trump’s declaration of a Houthi “surrender”, the militia still has the means to attack ships.
Far-reaching attacks announced
According to Salah, shipping companies with links to Israel or heading for Haifa are to be placed on a sanctions list. “If a company is on the sanctions list, its fleet will be banned from passing through the Red Sea, the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. In addition, it will be attacked by Yemeni forces wherever possible.”
This declaration increases the risk for the entire shipping industry. Shipping companies such as Hapag-Lloyd are already announcing in advance that they do not want to reactivate the route via the Suez Canal prematurely, as developments cannot be foreseen. The blockade of Haifa will not remain without consequences, both for imports and exports from Israel and for the safety of merchant ships. In the past, the Huthi have primarily targeted ships that are said to be in contact with Israel, but “in practice” no distinction was made. Almost any ship could become a Houthi target in the Red Sea. (JW)
