Houthi terrorists renew 'naval blockade' on Israel 'until aid enters Gaza'

The Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen announced on Tuesday that it would renew its “naval blockade” on Israel “until aid enters Gaza.” The threat was issued about 24 hours after the terror group issued an ultimatum to Israel.

A spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Saree, vowed to uphold a “naval blockade” against Israel “for another month, until the crossings into Gaza are opened for humanitarian aid.”

“The Yemeni forces salute the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank, and affirm that they stand alongside the Palestinian resistance,” he continued.

Houthi defense official, Mohammed al-Atifi, claimed that the terror group is “ready and fully prepared to carry out the leadership’s instructions to support Gaza and assist Palestinian fighters.”

In January, the Houthis launched two missiles at Israel, warning of further attacks if the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel ended. Israel’s aerial defense systems successfully intercepted both missiles.

The Houthis have fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel over the past year in solidarity with Hamas and Palestinians in Gaza. Houthi rebels have also targeted international commercial vessels in the Red Sea – a vital trade route for goods moving from Asian manufacturers to European and Western markets.

While the Houthis are believed to still have missiles and drones capable of reaching Israel, the Iranian-backed terror group is currently focusing its threats on targeting “Israeli ships.”

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) has been on high alert and is prepared for any scenario and threat.

Earlier this month, Israel announced it would halt humanitarian aid into Gaza after the Hamas terrorist organization rejected U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s proposal to extend the ceasefire.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem argued that “Hamas has repeatedly violated the agreement, Israel has not been found in violation.”

Hamas, which openly calls for Israel’s destruction, demands a permanent “ceasefire” in order to regroup and reconstitute itself.

Israel has agreed to a temporary truce to secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. However, the Israeli government has emphasized that it is committed to its goal of dismantling Hamas as a political and military force in Gaza. The Trump administration has also stressed the need to remove Hamas from Gaza.

Following the fragile ceasefires with the severely degraded forces of Hezbollah and Hamas, the Houthi rebels in Yemen are the only Iranian proxy actively engaged in combat with Israel at this time.

Israel has historically regarded the distant Houthis as a peripheral threat compared to the more immediate dangers posed by Hamas and Hezbollah. However, after multiple Houthi attacks on Israel, the Israeli government ordered the IAF last July to strike Houthi targets in Yemen, more than 1,000 miles away.

“We attacked at a distance of more than 1,700 kilometers using a large number of fighter planes. Several infrastructures were attacked, including dual-use energy infrastructures (for both military and civilian purposes),” the IDF reported.

“The Houthis attacked us over 200 times – the first time they harmed an Israeli citizen, we prepared them. We will do this as much as it takes, the blood of Israeli citizens is not cheap,” former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said at the time.

In response to ongoing Houthi drone and missile attacks on Israel, the IAF carried out multiple additional airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. In late December, it conducted its largest strike to date, targeting the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital, Sana’a, and its international airport, a key hub for smuggling Iranian weapons into Yemen.