Houthis Declare Red Sea Ban on Israeli Ships, Vow Escalation as Iran and Israel Exchange Strikes

Houthi rebels announced a complete ban on Israeli navigation through the Red Sea on Monday and declared any Israeli vessel movement a military target. ” The Houthis have closed the Bab el-Mandeb strait to Israeli ships. 3 million barrels of oil each day.

Ships forced to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope can add up to two weeks to voyages. Saree stated the blockade would remain in force and that Houthi operations would intensify. “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,” he said.

Houthi leaders added they would not stand by while an “unjust siege” was imposed on their people and on groups in Palestine, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, and Iraq. The announcement came as Iran and Israel traded retaliatory strikes, the most serious escalation since the April cease-fire. Tehran said its forces targeted Israel’s Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases during Operation Nasr.

An Islamic Revolutionary Guards spokesperson said the strikes responded to Israeli missile attacks on radar sites in three parts of Iran. Israel’s military said it struck a petrochemical complex in Mahshahr, southern Iran. Esmail Baghaei, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, told reporters that Washington bears responsibility for any Israeli action.

“No one believes that the Israeli regime would take any action without coordination with the United States,” Baghaei said.