Yemen’s Houthis vow to resume attacks on Israeli ships after Gaza aid deadline expires

By Mohammed Ragawi and Mohammad Sio

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - Yemen’s Houthi group said Tuesday that they are resuming a ban on the passage of all Israeli ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait after a four-day deadline they gave Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip expired.

The statement came via a televised address by Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree posted on his X account.

Hours earlier, the Houthis’ unrecognized Cabinet convened in Sanaa to discuss the four-day ultimatum given to Tel Aviv, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.

It affirmed the readiness of its forces to strike Israeli vessels if aid did not reach Gaza by the deadline, signaling preparedness across all government sectors for potential developments and repercussions stemming from this stance in solidarity with Palestinians, the agency reported.

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi reiterated Monday that his forces were “ready and prepared” to act against Israel once the deadline lapsed.

“Following the end of the deadline set by Commander Abdul Malik al-Houthi for mediators to compel the Israeli enemy to reopen crossings and allow aid into Gaza—and given the mediators’ failure to achieve this—the Yemeni Armed Forces confirm the resumption of a ban on all Israeli ships in the designated operational zone, encompassing the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Bab al-Mandab (Strait), and the Gulf of Aden,” Saree said.

He warned that “any Israeli ship attempting to breach this ban will be targeted within the announced operational area,” adding that the restriction would persist “until crossings to Gaza are reopened and aid, food and medicine are allowed in.”

Israel has not commented on the Houthi threats.

The move follows the end of the first 42-day phase of a Gaza ceasefire on March 1 mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US, after which Israel declined to enter the second phase—entailing full war cessation—and instead reclosed all Gaza crossings, blocking aid since March 8.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to extend the initial phase to secure more hostage releases without meeting broader commitments, a tactic critics say panders to hardliners in his coalition.

The Palestinian group Hamas, meanwhile, insists on adhering to the deal’s terms, urging mediators to launch second-phase talks for a complete Israeli withdrawal and the war's end.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched missile and drone attacks on Israeli targets and Israeli-linked cargo ships, occasionally striking Israel directly with missiles and drones, including Tel Aviv, in “solidarity with Gaza.”

Israel responded with airstrikes on alleged Houthi military sites in Yemen until the Gaza truce paused such exchanges on Jan. 19.

More than 48,500 people have been killed, mostly women and children, in a brutal Israeli war on Gaza since October 2023. The onslaught was paused under the ceasefire and prisoner swap deal, which took hold in January.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.