Yemen's Ansar Allah movement, also known as the Houthis, on Thursday issued a formal notification to shipping and insurance firms of its prohibition on the passage of Israeli-, United States- and United Kingdom-affiliated ships through sea routes near Yemen, a source in the movement's leadership told Sputnik.
"Yes, reports about notification to ship insurers and companies of a ban on the passage in the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, and the Gulf of Aden of Israeli-, US- or UK-affiliated vessels by authorities in northern Yemen are true," the source said.
The Houthi movement, which controls large parts of northern and western Yemen, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea.
US and UK forces later launched major strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels.
On Thursday, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said the movement has attacked 48 vessels in the Red and Arabian Seas, fired 183 drones and rockets at Israel, held over 1,100 military drills, parades and marches, and trained more than 273,000 fighters in 20 weeks since the start of the movement's military actions.