Despite a recent cease-fire that halted weeks of intense US military strikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the group confirmed they will continue targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea, a senior official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday.
Abdulmalik Alejri, a member of the Houthi political bureau, clarified that while the cease-fire protects all international shipping, Israeli vessels are excluded from the agreement.
“The waterways are safe for all international ships except Israeli ones,” he told AFP. “Israel is not part of the deal – it only includes American and other foreign ships.”
The Houthis, who have controlled much of Yemen for over a decade, escalated their attacks on Israeli-linked shipping in November 2023, shortly after the Israel-Hamas war broke out.
Their campaign later expanded to target vessels tied to the U.S. and Britain following military strikes by these nations in January 2024.
Alejri emphasized that the Houthis would now focus solely on attacking Israeli ships, a shift from their earlier strategy, which included vessels with even indirect ties to Israel.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmaeil Baqaei, welcomed the cease-fire and praised Yemen’s “legendary resistance” against U.S. aggression.
Saudi Arabia also lauded the agreement, with a statement from its foreign ministry expressing support.
The US-Houthi cease-fire came after Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday destroyed Sanaa airport in retaliation for a Houthi missile strike on Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Khaled alShaief, director of Sanaa airport, told Al-Masirah television that Israeli strikes caused $500 million in damage, including destruction to terminal buildings.
Oman facilitated the cease-fire agreement, ensuring that neither the U.S. nor the Houthis would target the other, preserving freedom of navigation in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who is set to visit Gulf countries next week, hailed the agreement as a victory. “The Houthis have capitulated,” he said. “They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore, and that’s… the purpose of what we were doing.”
The cease-fire followed a month of escalated U.S. military operations against the Houthis, including airstrikes that killed at least 300 people, according to Houthi sources. The Pentagon reported that over 1,000 targets in Yemen had been struck since mid-March as part of Operation “Rough Rider.”
Alejri noted that recent U.S.-Iran talks in Muscat allowed for indirect negotiations between Washington and Sanaa, paving the way for the cease-fire.
He reiterated the rebels’ stance, saying, “America was the one who started the aggression against us, and at its beginning, we did not resume our operations on Israel.”
Houthi missile and drone attacks have sharply reduced cargo shipments through the Red Sea, a vital trade route responsible for around 12% of global maritime trade.
The Houthis defend their actions as solidarity with the Palestinians, citing their ongoing attacks on Gaza as part of their broader campaign.
