Yemen's Houthis declare 'total ban' on Israeli ships in Red Sea

SANAA: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi resistance group announced a missile attack on Israel on Monday and declared a ban on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, raising the spectre of a return to major disruption on the key route.

The Houthis halted cargo ships in the vital seaway during the Israel-Hamas war, forcing many companies into a lengthy detour around the tip of southern Africa.

Their threat comes as the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf sea and its energy exporters, remains blockaded by Iran as a result of the Middle East war with the US and Israel.

“We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea,” said a statement from the Houthis’ armed forces.

“We consider all enemy movements to be legitimate military targets for our armed forces from the moment this statement is issued.”

The Houthis, who joined the Middle East war in support of Iran in March, had not announced a missile attack on Israel since a fragile ceasefire began on April 8.

They said they “launched a missile barrage targeting sensitive Israeli enemy targets”, claiming the strikes “achieved their objectives with precision”.

The Israeli military earlier wrote on Telegram that it “has identified the launch of a missile from Yemen toward Israeli territory, aerial defense systems are operating to intercept the threat”.

The Houthis’ attack came as Israel and Iran traded fire on Monday, putting the ceasefire under renewed strain and threatening hopes for a peace deal.

The Houthis and Lebanon-based Hezbollah form part of the “Axis of Resistance” grouping of pro-Iran forces opposed to Israel and the United States.

The rebels from Yemen’s rugged north have controlled much of the country for more than a decade after they seized the capital and forced out the government in September 2014.

A Saudi-led international military intervention from March 2015 triggered a brutal civil war that left hundreds of thousands dead from direct and indirect causes.