Yemen’s Houthis threaten to escalate attacks on ships linked to companies dealing with Israel

The rebel Houthi group in Yemen has said it will target merchant ships belonging to any company that does business with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality, as part of what it described as the next phase of its operations against Israel.

The Iran-backed Houthis launched a campaign targeting merchant vessels in response to the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, saying they were doing so in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Their attacks over the past two years have upended shipping in the Red Sea, through which $1 trillion of goods usually passes each year.

In an announcement late Sunday night, the Houthis said they had “decided to escalate their military support operations and begin implementing the fourth phase of the naval blockade” against Israel.

They warned that they would target “all ships belonging to any company that deals with the ports of the Israeli enemy, regardless of the nationality of that company, and in any location within the reach of our armed forces.” The vessels would be targeted regardless of their destination, they added.

Read more: AP