It’s published
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have vowed to target commercial vessels belonging to Israeli ports and companies that do business with Israeli ports, regardless of nationality, as part of what they say is a new phase of their military operations against Israeli.
After the Israeli-Hamas War began in October 2023, Iran-backed Houtsis launched a campaign targeting ships in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Seas.
In a recent announcement, Houthis said it had “decided to escalate its military support operations and begin implementing the fourth phase of the naval blockade.”
They warned that they would target “all ships belonging to any company that handles enemy ports in Israel, regardless of the company’s nationality and out of reach of our troops.”
The rebels said countries should pressure Israel to stop the war in Gaza and lift the blockade of Palestinian territory “if they want to avoid this escalation.”
Earlier this month, Houthis attacked and sank two Greek-owned bulk carriers in the Liberian formation.
The attack on the eternal C killed four crew members, while the other 11 were taken prisoner. All 22 crew members of the Magic Sea were rescued before the ship sinks.
On Monday evening, Houthis released a video showing 11 Captured Eternity C Crew members.
The first footage of this kind since the Houthi attack began shows not only the crew getting off the boat, but also interviewing prisoners of war. The video has not been independently verified.
Earlier this month, the US embassy in Yemen, which has been operating from Saudi Arabia for about a decade, explained that the Houtis had “invited” eternal sailors.
Between November 2023 and December 2024, Houthis targeted more than 100 ships equipped with missiles and drones.
The rebels stopped the attack during a brief ceasefire in the war in Gaza and became the target of a bombing campaign ordered by US President Donald Trump.
In May, the US announced a contract with Houthis, which announced it would end the airstrikes in exchange for the end of the attack on the vessel, but rebels said the agreement did not include stopping the strike against targets that were thought to be in line with Israel.
Additional sources •AP
