Houthis Threaten to Shut Down a Key Red Sea Passage for Israel-Linked Ships

The Houthis, the Iran-backed terror group in Yemen, announced today (Monday) that they will prohibit ships connected to Israel from entering the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The group’s terrorists, who launched two ballistic missiles at Israel this morning, said they will attack vessels that refuse to comply.

As a reminder, the Houthis first began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, one month after the Hamas-led massacre on October 7. In response, Israel struck the Houthis in Yemen, which is located about 1,800 kilometers away, 19 times using the Israeli Air Force and Navy.

Because of Houthi attacks and threats, Saudi Arabia diverted more than 70 percent of its crude oil exports to another port in order to avoid strikes. A Houthi source told Reuters that "Preventing Israeli ships from passing through the Red Sea is a first step, but if the escalation continues, we will stop every ship headed to Israel."