Houthis Continue Red Sea Assault, Targets Merchant Ships

The leader of Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said his group would respect the deal of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, but he warned it could continue to attack ships in the Red Sea if the ceasefire is broken.

The Houthis since November 2023 have attacked more than 100 vessels, including sinking two, taking one and killing at least four crew members. The attacks have enormously affected the world’s shipping as it takes longer routes for ships and goods to reach later destinations.

The Houthis have focused mostly on the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are separated by the Bab al-Mandab strait. This key chokepoint functions as a strategic corridor connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Indian Ocean, crucial for exports from the Gulf and Asia into Western markets via the Suez Canal.

The continuous threat from Houthis will lead to fears about a global maritime route-one of the most critical in the world-that might suffer when the present agreement of a ceasefire is breached.