The military spokesperson of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, Yahya Saree, announced on Sunday night that the organization has decided to escalate its operations against Israel, citing the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Saree declared that the Houthis have decided to attack any vessel belonging to a company that provides services or collaborates with ports in Israel, regardless of the vessel's nationality and wherever they are able to do so.
"We warn all companies to cease dealings with Israeli ports starting from the date of this statement," he said.
In March, the US launched strikes against the Houthis, after President Donald Trump said he had ordered the military to launch “decisive and powerful military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.”
Trump later announced that the US would stop bombing the Houthis after the rebels communicated that they would stop attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Even though the Houthis halted their attack on US ships, they stressed that they would continue attacks on Israel, as they have done since the start of the conflict in Gaza.
The rebels have also continued attacking ships which they claim have ties to Israel. Earlier this month, the Houthis launched an attack on the Greek-owned Eternity C cargo ship in the Red Sea, near the city of Hodeidah. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported that the ship was attacked by multiple small vessels using RPGs.