Houthis Threaten Mediterranean Shipping

Yemen's Houthis threatened to extend their attacks on Israel-bound shipping to the Mediterranean after months of strikes on vessels in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, who say they are acting in support of Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war, said the escalation would take effect "immediately".

It involves "the targeting of all ships that violate the ban on Israeli navigation and that head to the ports of occupied Palestine from the Mediterranean Sea in any reachable area within our ample zone", military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.

"Secondly, the implementation of this measure begins as soon as this declaration is announced. Thirdly: if the Israeli enemy intends to launch an assault on the city of Rafah, the Yemeni armed forces will impose comprehensive sanctions on all ships and companies supplying and entering the occupied Palestinian ports, regardless of their nationality, and will prevent all ships belonging to these companies from passing through the armed forces' area of operations, regardless of their destination," he added.

The Huthis, who control large swathes of Yemen including much of its Red Sea coast, have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on shipping since November.

Their campaign has prompted US and British reprisal attacks and the formation of an international naval coalition to protect the vital trade route.

With Israel's Mediterranean ports lying about 2,000 kilometers from northern Yemen, it is unclear how much of a threat the Huthis will pose.

The Huthi arsenal includes ballistic missiles with a range of 1,600 to 1,900 km, and drones that can travel up to 2,000 km, experts say.

The Houthis previously threatened to extend their attacks to the Indian Ocean and to vessels taking the detour around southern Africa to avoid the Yemeni coast. But their main focus has remained the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.