Houthis Vow Total Red Sea Ban on Israeli Ships

(MENAFN) Yemen's Houthi movement announced Monday a "complete and total ban" on Israeli maritime navigation through the Red Sea, warning that vessels linked to Israel operating in the waterway would once again face direct targeting.

In an official statement, the Iran-backed group claimed responsibility for missile strikes on what it described as sensitive Israeli targets in the Jaffa region, asserting that "the missile strikes achieved their objectives with precision."

The group framed the attacks as a direct response to what it characterized as Israeli aggression across multiple fronts — including Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.

"We affirm that we will respond to escalation with escalation, and our military operations will intensify in accordance to the field developments, the battle, and in conjunction with the axis of Jihad and resistance," the statement read.

The Houthis further declared that they "will not stand idly by in the face of the unjust siege imposed on our people and the peoples of the axis of jihad and resistance in Palestine, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq."

Earlier Monday, Israel briefly shut down its airspace following the interception of a Houthi-launched missile, Israeli media reported.

The escalation follows a dramatic surge in regional tensions. Late Sunday, Iran unleashed several waves of missile barrages targeting northern Israel, in apparent retaliation for an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut. Israel subsequently struck back against targets across western and central Iran, with explosions confirmed in multiple cities including Tehran, Isfahan, and Tabriz.

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