Above photo: Yemen Military Media.
As Gaza Truce Deal Falters.
Israel cut off the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza and has halted electricity while threatening to resume its war on the strip.
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) has reimposed a naval blockade on Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea, Arab Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
In a statement released late on 11 March, the YAF said the move comes “after the expiry of the specified period of the deadline issued by Sayyid Abdul Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, may God protect him, to the mediators to push and pressure the Israeli enemy to reopen the crossings and bring aid into the Gaza Strip.”
“In view of the inability of the mediators to achieve this, the [YAF] confirms” the resumption of “the ban on the passage of all Israeli ships in the designated operational area of the Red and Arabian Seas, as well as Bab al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden,” the Yemeni army statement said.
“This ban shall take effect from the time of announcing this statement. Any Israeli ship attempting to violate this ban will be targeted in the declared area of operations. This ban will continue until the crossings to the Gaza Strip are reopened and aid and food and medicine supplies are allowed to enter,” it added.
At the start of Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Gaza Strip in October 2023, the YAF – which is merged with Yemen’s Ansarallah resistance movement – began maritime operations against Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea, over time expanding its attacks to the Mediterranean and other bodies of water.
As Israel’s war dragged on, the Yemeni army coupled its maritime campaign with direct drone and missile attacks on Israel.
This prompted a violent campaign of US, UK, and later Israeli airstrikes on Yemen – which failed to deter the YAF from continuing its operations.
The announcement comes as Israel has been obstructing the Gaza ceasefire deal from moving forward by demanding an extension of its first phase and refusing to engage in talks for the agreement’s second phase. It has also imposed new conditions and has demanded a full disarmament of Hamas’s military wing, threatening a resumption of war on the strip.
New Israeli army Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, has approved new offensive plans for the Southern Command to resume the war.
Israel has shut all border crossings and cut off the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. It has also cut off electricity to the enclave, affecting a major desalination plant and reducing access to fresh water by 70 percent.
Israeli attacks on Gaza killed at least 12 people in the last 24 hours, according to the strip’s health ministry. Over 130 have been killed since the truce went into effect.
Yemen halted its pro-Palestine operations when the ceasefire took effect, but has repeatedly warned that it will take military action if the agreement collapses.