Houthis to Impose ‘Complete Ban’ on Israeli Ships in Red Sea

The Houthis, an Iran-backed militant group that controls much of Yemen, declared a ban on Israeli ships in the Red Sea, threatening a key bypass route to the Strait of Hormuz.

“We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation,” the group said Monday in a statement. “We consider all enemy movements to be legitimate military targets for our armed forces.”

The move comes as the Iran war drags into a fourth month and hostilities flare across the region, threatening to derail a fragile truce and complicate negotiations toward a peace deal. The conflict has led to the near-closure of Hormuz, forcing key Middle Eastern exporters to find alternative routes to global markets.

While the Houthis’ statement doesn’t amount to a ban on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, maritime intelligence agency Vanguard Tech advised caution.

“Given the broad wording used, vessels operating in the region should maintain heightened vigilance and conduct enhanced affiliation screening,” Vanguard said in a note.

The Houthis previously began attacking ships back in 2023 following the outbreak of Israel’s war in Gaza. The militants targeted vessels they deemed linked to Israel, a definition that proved very broad. A large number of ships were affected and carriers would sometimes be attacked by mistake. Traffic through the waterway collapsed.

The Houthis have largely sat out the US-Israeli war on Iran, but have repeatedly warned they could close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Renewed attacks in the area could jeopardize exports from Saudi Arabia’s western port of Yanbu, where large numbers of oil tankers have pitched up in the past three months to collect Saudi crude. Martin Kelly, head of advisory at EOS Risk Group, said the statement doesn’t appear to alter the current risk situation much, but could mark a first step toward further escalation.

“Current and historic Israeli ownership are at risk here. The Houthis say they will meet escalation with escalation,” Kelly said.

Photograph: A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea in 2024; photo credit: Sayed Hassan/Getty Images