Yemen's Houthis say they will target ships heading for Israel anywhere within range

Yemen's Houthis will target ships heading to Israeli ports in any area that is within their range, military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a televised speech on Friday.

"We will target any ships heading to Israeli ports in the Mediterranean Sea in any area we are able to reach," he said.

The Iran-aligned Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes on ships in the crucial shipping channels of the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab strait and the Gulf of Aden since November to show their support for the Palestinians in the Gaza war.

This has forced shippers to re-route cargo to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa and has stoked fears that the Israel-Hamas war could spread and destabilise the Middle East.

The Houthis should exercise more caution if they do not want to see their power destroyed by an international military operation, the outlines of which are becoming clearer.