Houthis' Red Sea blockade remains in force
Shafaq News – Sanaa
Yemen’s Houthi (Ansarallah) movement is maintaining a full naval blockade on Israeli-affiliated shipping in the Red Sea, the group’s leader confirmed on Thursday.
In a televised address, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said his forces had launched 309 ballistic and hypersonic missiles, along with drones, at Israeli targets since the second phase of operations began in mid-Ramadan (March 2025).
He further characterized the Iran-Israel ceasefire as a “military defeat” for Tel Aviv, claiming Israel failed to achieve its objectives in the strikes on Iranian territory. Iran’s missile barrages, he added, created “unprecedented fear,” driving Israeli civilians into shelters.
Al-Houthi framed Tehran’s response as a strategic victory for the region, hailing Iran’s leadership, Revolutionary Guard, and public for their resilience, and asserted that toppling Iran’s Islamic system was “impossible.”
The Houthis, backed by Iran and in control of northern Yemen, began targeting Israeli-linked vessels in late 2023 in response to the Gaza war.
Their attacks disrupted traffic through key trade corridors in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, prompting a US-led naval response aimed at securing international shipping routes.
