US strikes on Yemeni territory will not affect the intentions of the Houthis from the rebel movement "Ansar Allah" to attack Israeli ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
“The US President's statements about the threat to international shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait are false and misleading the international community. The naval blockade imposed by Yemen in support of Gaza only applies to Israeli ships. This will continue until humanitarian aid is delivered to the people of Gaza in accordance with the ceasefire agreement between the Palestinian resistance and the enemy entity,“ wrote the spokesman for "Ansar Allah" Mohamed Abdel Salam on the X network.
Abdel Salam also stressed that the Red Sea is safe for ships not affiliated with Israel. According to him, the US strikes will lead to the militarization of the Red Sea, which “poses a real threat to international shipping in the region“.
On March 15, the US armed forces, on the orders of President Donald Trump, began carrying out massive strikes on territory in Yemen that is under the control of the Houthis. The operation is aimed at protecting American interests and ensuring freedom of navigation, the US Central Command said. Ansar Allah has vowed to respond to the escalation, while claiming that civilian targets are being targeted.
Following the escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip, Ansar Allah has warned that it will shell Israeli territory and prevent ships affiliated with it from passing through the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as fighting continues in the Palestinian enclave. Houthi attacks on merchant ships ceased in mid-January 2025, when Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
After the end of the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to halt humanitarian aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave. On March 7, Ansar Allah leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi said that Yemeni Houthis would resume “maritime operations“ against Israel if aid supplies to the Gaza Strip were not unblocked within four days. When the ultimatum expired, the movement announced a resumption of attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.