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Yemen’s Houthi rebels have joined the fight in the Iran war on Tehran’s side, announcing a missile attack on Israel on Monday and declaring a ban on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, putting the waterway in danger along with the Gulf of Aden and the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting them.
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During the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the Houthis harassed cargo ships in the vital seaway through which about $1 trillion (€866bn) of goods passed each year with nearly 200 attacks, forcing many companies into a lengthy detour around the tip of southern Africa.
The detour generally adds around 14 days and significant costs to journeys between Asia and Europe. Oil passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait dropped from 8.8 million to around 4 million barrels per day during the campaign.
The Houthis paused the attacks after the Gaza ceasefire in October 2025, but warned they would resume if the Iran war escalated.
Their renewed threat comes as the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf and its energy exporters, remains blockaded by Tehran as a result of the Iran war.
The announcement simultaneously places two of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints under threat.
The Bab el-Mandeb, just 26 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. Roughly 12% of global maritime trade passes through it.
The Strait of Hormuz carries approximately one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and gas, as well as other cargo.
“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 nominally joined the Iran war in support of Tehran in March, had not announced a missile attack on Israel since a fragile ceasefire began on 8 April.
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 Tehran-backed, trained and armed Axis of Resistance, which also includes Hamas and militias in Iraq.
Formally known as Ansar Allah, the rebels from Yemen’s rugged north have controlled much of the country for more than a decade after they seized the capital Sanaa and forced out the government in September 2014.
Additional sources • AP, AFP
