Houthis say they will limit Red Sea attacks to Israeli-affiliated ships

The Iranian-backed Yemen-based Houthi terrorist militia indicated on Monday they would limit their attacks in the Red Sea region to “Israeli-affiliated” ships. The Houthi statement came on the second day of the current ceasefire between the terrorist militia Hamas and Israel.

The Houthis have attacked international commercial ships in the Red Sea since November 2023, officially under the pretext that it is acting in solidarity with Hamas and Gaza. The Houthis have attacked more than 100 international commercial ships with drones and missiles in the Red Sea region. This area constitutes a strategically important route for transporting many products made in Asia to the large European consumer market. 

The Houthis have previously vowed to continue attacking international vessels in the Red Sea as long as the fighting in Gaza continues. Following the signing of the Gaza ceasefire, the Houthis claimed through their “Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center” that they were “stopping sanctions” against most non-Israeli ships. However, the Houthis vowed to resume attacks against the United States and the United Kingdom in response to the Western nations’ aerial attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen. 

"In the event of any aggression ... the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor state," the Houthis warned. "You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented," they added. 

Addressing Israeli commercial vessels, the Houthis argued that "sanctions ... will be stopped upon the full implementation of all phases" of the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel.  

Like its patron, the Iranian ayatollah regime, the Houthis openly call for the destruction of Israel. Given its genocidal ideology against the Jewish people, it is therefore doubtful whether the Houthis are truly prepared to end their attacks on Israel. 

In addition to attacks on Israeli-affiliated ships, the Houthis have also fired over 40 ballistic missiles and approximately 320 drones against Israel during 2024. 

The Houthis fired two missiles at central Israel on Saturday morning. While the Israel aerial defense systems successfully intercepted the hostile missiles, they activated aerial sirens in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other central Israeli cities. In response to the alerts, Israel’s International Ben-Gurion Airport temporarily suspended flights. 

The Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree vowed to back Hamas in its effort to “expel the Israeli enemy.”

“The goal is to liberate every inch of Palestine,” Saree said, using popular Middle Eastern code words for Israel’s destruction. 

The Yemeni-Swedish peace activist Luai Ahmed condemned the Houthi attacks on Israel during a visit to Israel in December. 

"Dear Houthis, firing missiles towards Israel is not 'helping Palestinians' – it's ruining Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East. Yours truly, A Yemeni," Ahmed stated.

Israel has responded to the unprovoked Houthi attacks by launching several aerial attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen. In December, the Israeli Air Force launched its largest strike to date, which included attacks on Houthi-controlled ports and the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital Sana’a.

In addition, Israeli leaders have warned to assassinate Houthi leaders just like the Israeli military eliminated most senior Hezbollah and Hamas leaders in Gaza and Lebanon. 

Critics have argued that the Houthis use their attacks against Israel as distraction from the severe humanitarian crisis in war-torn Yemen. 

UN agencies have estimatedthe civil war in Yemen has displaced some 4.5 million people. Furthermore, 21.6 million Yemenis, constituting two-thirds of the total population, are in dire need of humanitarian help as much of the population faces starvation.