Iran backed Houthis threaten to attack Israel's ship until aid is allowed in Gaza

The Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by Iran, threatened on Saturday to attack any ships that were going to dock in Israel unless supplies of food and medicine were permitted into the besieged Gaza Strip.

The most recent warning coincides with increased hostilities in the Red Sea and its environs due to a string of pirate attacks by Houthi rebels since the Israel-Gaza conflict began on October 7.

The Houthis threatened to “stop the passage of ships heading to the Zionist entity” in a social media statement if humanitarian aid was not permitted into Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas.

Although the Houthis have attacked ships in the past that they claim have direct connections to Israel, their most recent threat broadens their target base.

Regardless of which flag ships sail under or the nationality of their owners or operators, Israel-bound vessels “will become a legitimate target for our armed forces”, the statement said.

Hamas welcomed the rebels’ “courageous and bold” decision.

“We call on Arab and Muslim countries to use all their capabilities, based on their historical responsibilities and in the spirit of chivalry, to lift the siege of Gaza,” it added in a statement.

Israel’s national security adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said his country would not accept the “naval siege”, noting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had asked US President Joe Biden and European leaders to take measures to address the situation.

“If the world will not take care of it,” Hanegbi warned on Israel’s Channel 12 television, “we will take action to remove the naval siege.”

The French military said on Sunday that one of its frigates shot down two drones in the Red Sea that were heading towards it from Yemen’s coast.

“The interception and destruction of these two identified threats” were carried out late Saturday by the frigate Languedoc, which operates in the Red Sea, the general staff said in a press release.

The interceptions occurred at 2030 GMT and 2230 GMT, it added, and were 110km (68 miles) from the Yemeni coast.

Last week, the Houthis attacked two ships off the Yemeni coast, including a Bahamas-flagged vessel, claiming they were Israeli-owned.

And last month, the rebel forces seized the Galaxy Leader, an Israeli-linked cargo vessel.

“We warn all ships and companies against dealing with Israeli ports,” the latest Houthi statement said.

It added that all “ships linked to Israel or that will transport goods to Israeli ports” are not welcome in the Red Sea, a vital channel for global trade linked to the Suez Canal.

Beyond maritime attacks, the Houthis have launched a series of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel since the deadly attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas triggered all-out war.

The militants poured over the border into Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapping about 240 others, according to Israeli officials.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas, and launched a military offensive in Gaza that has killed at least 17,700 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

The spike in maritime incidents prompted G7 foreign ministers at a meeting earlier this month to urge the rebels to cease threats to international shipping and to release the Galaxy Leader.

(with inputs from the AFP)