Aden (South24)

The Houthi militia announced on Monday (June 8) a full ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, saying that all movements linked to Israel in the strategic waterway have become “military targets” for its forces.

The announcement came in a statement by the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, who said the Houthis had launched a barrage of missiles targeting what he described as “sensitive targets” in the Jaffa area, amid an escalating military confrontation between Iran and Israel and widening regional tensions.

The statement said the move came as part of efforts to confront what it called “the American and Zionist aggression against the Axis of Resistance” and in rejection of what it described as the Israeli project in the region. It added that the group would continue its military operations and respond to any escalation with further escalation.

The statement also said the Houthis would act in coordination with what it called “the Axis of Jihad and Resistance,” adding that military operations would continue as long as “aggression and siege” persist against Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, and Yemen.

The Israeli army said early today that it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen.

The Houthi announcement came hours after a night of major military escalation between Iran and Israel.

The Israeli army said it had detected missile launches from Iran toward Israeli territory before announcing that a number of them had been intercepted. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that four missiles were intercepted, while Israeli officials vowed to respond to the Iranian attacks.

In return, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that it had targeted Israeli military sites, including the Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases. The Israeli army, meanwhile, said it had carried out strikes against targets inside Iran, including facilities in the petrochemical sector in the southwestern city of Mahshahr, as well as other military targets.

The escalation also coincided with growing Iranian warnings regarding regional maritime routes.

The secretary of the Iranian parliament’s National Security Committee said Tehran was prepared to close the Bab al-Mandab Strait “in coordination with the Houthis,” in the latest official indication that the confrontation could expand to include the Red Sea.

This came days after Iran hinted at the possibility of activating the Bab al-Mandab and Yemen front as part of its options for responding to mounting military and political pressure.

Last Wednesday, Southern Transitional Council President Aidarous Al-Zubaidi called in a statement for a comprehensive response to confront the threat posed by Iran and its proxies, one that “ensures the protection of maritime security in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz at the same time.”

Despite the STC’s criticism of the Saudi strikes that targeted its forces last January, Al-Zubaidi said that “the Arab Southern Transitional Council remains the most credible force on the southern coast; we are still present on the ground and possess military capabilities alongside southern popular support.”

Bab al-Mandab is one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, with a large share of global trade and energy shipments passing through it.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023, the Houthis have carried out dozens of attacks against commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, claiming they are acting in support of the Palestinians.

Those attacks have caused major disruption to international shipping and prompted the United States and its partners to launch military operations to protect shipping lanes in the region.