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Yemen's Houthis reimpose 'total' Red Sea blockade on Israel
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Conflict & Security

Yemen's Houthis reimpose 'total' Red Sea blockade on Israel

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • Yemen's Houthi forces have reimposed a "complete and total" naval blockade on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea.
  • The move is a retaliation for alleged Israeli attacks on Iranian military targets.
  • The Houthis stated they consider all enemy movements as military targets and will intensify operations in response to escalation.

Yemen's Houthi forces declared a "complete and total" ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, escalating regional tensions. The group claimed responsibility for missile launches targeting Israel, framing the action as retaliation for Israeli strikes on "military targets" belonging to the Islamic Republic.

complete and total prohibition of Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea

— Yemen's Houthi forcesAnnouncing the reimposition of the naval blockade.

In an official statement, the Houthi military wing justified this escalation under the principle of "unified fronts" to counter what they term "American-Zionist aggression" and to break the siege on the "Axis of Resistance," which includes Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, and Iraq. The Yemeni militia warned that they now view "all enemy movements as military targets" and vowed to intensify their operations, adhering to the premise of "responding to escalation with more escalation."

This announcement formally reactivates the Houthi naval harassment campaign, which had been paused since the Gaza ceasefire in October 2025, brokered by then-U.S. President Donald Trump. The rebels maintain that the blockade on Israeli-linked ships will only be permanently lifted when the siege on Palestinian territories fully ceases, reaffirming their original stance amid heightened regional violence.

all enemy movements as military targets

— Yemeni militiaStating their stance on potential targets following the blockade announcement.

The Houthis also confirmed launching an attack on "sensitive targets in the Jaffa region" (Tel Aviv) the previous night, asserting their projectiles hit their objectives with precision. The Israeli military confirmed intercepting a missile launched from Yemen, which triggered emergency alerts across central Israel and Jerusalem.

responding to escalation with more escalation

— Yemeni militiaDescribing their strategy in the face of perceived aggression.

This resumption of hostilities, involving Yemen, jeopardizes the success of U.S.-led peace negotiations following a regional ceasefire on April 8. The escalation occurred after Israel bombed southern Beirut suburbs, despite U.S. appeals against it, and following Iran's warnings that attacks in that area would violate the existing ceasefire. In response to the new escalation, President Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to retaliate against the latest Iranian offensive to contain the situation, a plea Israel reportedly did not heed, as its aircraft bombed military targets and a power plant in Iran.

sensitive targets in the Jaffa region

— HouthisDescribing the targets of their missile attack against Israel.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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