Illustrative image.
The Iran-backed Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen announced late on March 11 that they will resume attacks against Israeli ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
In a statement, Brigadier General Yahya Sarea, a military spokesman for the group, said that the attacks were resumed to support the Palestinians and pressure Israel to reopen the border crossings for the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis fired dozens of drones and missiles at Israeli-affiliated ships and others linked to the United States and the United Kingdom during the Gaza war. Most of the attacks took place in the Red Sea. The group announced a halt when a ceasefire started on January 19.
The ceasefire allowed aid to enter Gaza, but Israel halted the entrance of all aid to the Strip earlier this month and threatened a return to war if the Hamas Movement continued to refuse a proposal to extend the U.S.-brokered deal.
In addition to targeting ships, the Houthis launched dozens of drones and missiles at Israel and shot down some 15 U.S. combat drones over Yemen. In response, multiple waves of Israeli strikes hit Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The U.S. and the UK also launched hundreds of strikes against the group.
On March 7, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi announced a four-day ultimatum to Israel, demanding the allowance of humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave, or his group would resume naval attacks. The threat was ignored by Israel.
While the Houthis campaign in support for Gaza has been so far successful, the resumption of attacks on Israel-affiliated ships now carries serious threats.
With fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon mostly over and operations against Hamas in Gaza on halt, Israel will have more military and intelligence assets to allocate to countering the Houthis. A serious Israeli escalation against Yemen is to be expected.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
