The Houthis announced this week that they would attack any Israeli ship that sails in the vicinity of Yemen, including the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
As of Wednesday, the Houthis have not attempted any attacks, according to social media and the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations.
The Houthi threat to attack Israeli ships will be in effect until Israel resumes Gaza crossings, aid and food into the region, Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare’e said on X.
The Yemeni group previously attacked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which then expanded into the Arabian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, following the Israeli bombardment of Gaza in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Southern Israel. While the Houthis started by targeting Israeli ships, or those connected to Israel, they later expanded the attacks to U.S. and U.K. ships and then to all ships traveling in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Following the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, the Houthis ceased their attacks, saying they would monitor the ceasefire and renew their actions if needed, USNI News previously reported.
It was a matter of when, not if, the Houthis would resume attacks over Red Sea shipping and Israel, Behnam Taleblu, an Iran expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told USNI News on Wednesday.
“Be it driven by a stalled ceasefire deal, pressure on their terror patron in Tehran, or local, internal and ideological reasons, the decision to resume attacks renders bare the inability of the U.S. and the international community to meaningfully impact Houthi capabilities and intentions as well as their financial and materiel supply lines from Iran,” Taleblu said.
The Trump administration, which restored the Foreign Terrorist Organization designation, will need a more integrated approach including political, economic and military aspects, along with its partners, in order to prevent future attacks, he said.
The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is currently in the Red Sea as part of the U.S. participation in Operation Prosperity Guardian.
