Skip to main content

Houthis join the fight: Red Sea blockade back, missiles aimed at Tel Aviv

1 min Mena Today

Yemen's Houthi rebels have announced a new "total ban" on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea, as the conflict between Iran and Israel flared again on Sunday following Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs.

The Red Sea blockade, if enforced, would once again disrupt global shipping lanes © Mena Today 

The Red Sea blockade, if enforced, would once again disrupt global shipping lanes © Mena Today 

Yemen's Houthi rebels have announced a new "total ban" on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea, as the conflict between Iran and Israel flared again on Sunday following Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs.

"We consider all movements of the enemy to be legitimate military targets," Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree declared in a statement, threatening to "respond to escalation with escalation."

The Iran-backed group also claimed to have fired a "missile barrage" at Tel Aviv earlier in the day, the latest in a series of long-range strikes the Houthis have launched against Israel since the regional conflict erupted.

The announcements underscore the increasingly coordinated nature of Iran's network of proxies. As Iranian ballistic missiles target northern Israel and Hezbollah continues its attacks from Lebanon, the Houthis are simultaneously threatening maritime trade routes and striking Israeli cities,  a multi-front pressure campaign designed to stretch Israel's defences and signal that Tehran's reach extends from Yemen to the Mediterranean.

The Red Sea blockade, if enforced, would once again disrupt global shipping lanes that handle a significant share of world trade, with potentially serious consequences for energy markets and supply chains.

By Siad Elmah 

Related

Iran

Everything's just fine with Iran...

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday the United States was getting along very well with Iran and that recent meetings in Qatar went well.

Iran

Washington, Tehran move to technical phase

The U.S. and Iran held technical talks in Doha on Wednesday as they seek to agree on the flow of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and secure a lasting ceasefire, a source with direct knowledge of the talks and an Iranian official said.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.