The Houthi rebels, an Iranian proxy group in Yemen, have vowed to attack Israeli ships in the Red Sea after claiming responsibility for missile attacks on Israel.
Yahya Saree, a Houthi spokesman, claimed “sensitive targets belonging to the Israeli enemy in Jaffa” had been hit before announcing the blockade.
“We announce a complete ban on the enemy’s navigation in the Red Sea and consider any Israeli movement a military target for our forces.”
The Houthis launched the attacks in response to Israeli strikes on Iran and Lebanon over the weekend.
“We affirm that we will respond to escalation with escalation, and our military operations will intensify in accordance to the field developments, the battle, and in conjunction with the axis of Jihad and resistance,” the group vowed.
“We will not stand idly by in the face of the unjust siege imposed on our people and the peoples of the axis of jihad and resistance in Palestine, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq.”
The Houthis have now effectively closed the Bab el-Mandeb to Israeli vessels. The strait, which sits between the southern tip of Yemen and the coast of Eritrea, is known as the “Gate of Tears” in Arabic because of its dangerousness to shipping.
Like the Strait of Hormuz, the Bab el-Mandeb is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, particularly for oil and fuel destined for the Mediterranean, as well as commodities bound for Asia, such as Russian oil.
About 3.3 million barrels of oil pass through the Bab each day.
If the Bab is closed, ships are forced to travel around the Horn of Africa, which can add two weeks to their journeys.
Over the weekend, Iran and Israel traded attacks in the most significant exchange of blows between the two countries since the ceasefire, which began in April.
“The IDF completed a large-scale strike on strategic defense systems belonging to the Iranian terror regime,” Israeli defense forces said.
“Recently, defense systems were deployed across Iran to restore the regime’s capabilities degraded during Operation Roaring Lion. The strike led to the dismantling of these systems.”
Iran said it had targeted air bases in Israel, and blamed the US for Israel’s attacks.
““No one believes that the Israeli regime would take any action without coordination with the United States,” Esmail Baghaei, the regime’s foreign ministry spokesperson said.
“The United States bears responsibility for the Israeli regime’s aggression, and it will also be responsible for the consequences of any escalation in tensions.”
