After Missiles, Yemen Now Bans All Israeli Ships From the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait
The Yemeni Armed Forces announced on Monday a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, warning that all Israeli movements in the waterway will be considered legitimate military targets from the moment the statement was issued, according to a declaration made by Yemeni Armed Forces military spokesman Yahya Saree.
“We declare a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea,” Saree stated. “We consider all enemy movements to be legitimate military targets for our armed forces from the moment this statement is issued.” Saree also confirmed that the Yemeni Armed Forces had launched a missile barrage targeting what he described as sensitive Israeli targets in the occupied Jaffa area, claiming the strikes achieved their objectives with precision. Air raid sirens sounded across central Israel following the launch, with the Israeli military confirming it had identified the missile and activated aerial defence systems.
“We consider all enemy movements to be legitimate military targets for our armed forces from the moment this statement is issued.” The announcement marks a significant escalation in Yemen’s involvement in the broader regional conflict, coming as Israel and Iran exchanged fire on Monday in what analysts described as the most intense exchange since a fragile ceasefire began on April 8. Saree warned that the Yemeni Armed Forces would respond to escalation with escalation and said operations would intensify in coordination with the axis of resistance across the region.
The declaration comes as the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Gulf and its energy exporters, remains blockaded by Iran as a result of the ongoing US-Israeli war. The Yemeni Armed Forces had previously disrupted commercial shipping in the Red Sea during Israel’s war on Gaza, forcing many shipping companies to reroute their vessels around the southern tip of Africa, adding significant time and cost to global trade routes.
Maritime security analysts noted that the ban is directed specifically at vessels assessed as Israeli-affiliated, including those that are Israeli-owned, operated, or managed, as well as vessels calling at Israeli ports, rather than a blanket ban on all commercial shipping in the waterway.
The move adds further pressure on global shipping and energy markets already severely strained by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, with the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait representing one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors connecting Europe, Asia, and the Gulf through the Suez Canal. Any sustained disruption to Israeli-affiliated shipping through the Red Sea would compound an already serious global trade crisis stemming directly from the US-Israeli war on Iran.
