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Yemen’s Houthi rebels have vowed to target commercial ships belonging to any company that does business with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality, as part of what they say is a new phase of their military operations against Israel.
After the Israel-Hamas war started in October 2023, the Iran-backed Houthis launched a campaign targeting ships in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea — in what they have called a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
In a recent announcement, 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 rebels said countries should pressure Israel to stop the war in Gaza and lift its blockade on the Palestinian territory “if they want to avoid this escalation”.
Earlier this month, the Houthis attacked and sank two Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned bulk carriers — the Magic Seas and the Eternity C.
The attack on the Eternity C killed four crew members while 11 others were taken captive. All 22 crew members of the Magic Seas were rescued before the ship sank.
On Monday evening, the Houthis released a video showing the 11 captured Eternity C crew members.
The footage — the first of its kind since the Houthi attacks started — shows the crew being taken off the boat as well as interviews with the captives. The video has not been independently verified.
Earlier this month, the US Embassy in Yemen, which has operated from Saudi Arabia for about a decade, described the Houthis as having “kidnapped” the Eternity C seafarers.
Between November 2023 and December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones.
The rebels stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war in Gaza and were later the target of a bombing campaign ordered by US President Donald Trump.
In May, the United States announced a deal with the Houthis to end the airstrikes in return for an end to attacks on ships, although the rebels said the agreement did not include halting strikes on targets it believed were aligned with Israel.
Additional sources • AP
