Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, announced on Monday that they are imposing a blockade on Israel’s Haifa port, signaling Yemeni attacks on Israel will expand.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the blockade was a response to Israel escalating its genocidal war on Gaza.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces, relying on Allah and trusting in Allah, have decided, with Allah’s help, to implement the leadership’s directives to begin working to enforce a naval blockade of the port of Haifa,” Saree said, according to Yemen’s SABA news agency.
“Accordingly, all companies with ships present in or heading to this port are hereby notified that, as of the time of this announcement, the aforementioned port has been included in the target bank,” Saree added.
Since President Trump announced a US-Houthi ceasefire on May 6, Ansar Allah has continued its missile and drone attacks on Israel, which have focused on the Ben Gurion Airport. Israel has launched several rounds of airstrikes on Yemen, but the Houthis have shown no sign of backing down.
The Houthis have maintained that Yemeni attacks on Israel will continue until there’s a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli blockade of the Palestinian territory.
“All measures and decisions of the armed forces related to the Israeli enemy, including support operations and the ban on air and sea navigation, will cease once the aggression on Gaza ends and the blockade is lifted,” Saree said.
While President Trump framed the truce with the Houthis as a US victory, the US really gave up trying to stop Yemeni attacks on Israel after a month and a half of heavy airstrikes.
The Trump administration launched its bombing campaign in Yemen on March 15, and, according to the US military, it conducted over 1,000 strikes. The bombing campaign had a devastating impact on civilians, killing more than 200.
