Houthi rebels threaten global trade routes with attacks on ships

Yemeni rebels from the Houthi movement, supported by Iran, announced on Thursday their intent to attack all ships heading to Israeli ports. According to information provided by the Reuters agency, their targets will be commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the leader of the Houthi movement, made this declaration on Yemeni television. The leader of the fighters, whom Iran supports, called on China, Russia, European, and Asian countries to refrain from transporting goods to ports in Israel.

Al-Houthi referred to these ports as "occupied Palestinian ports," suggesting that Israel illegally controls them. Since November 2023, the Houthi movement has been carrying out attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This is part of their campaign of solidarity with the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, which is waging war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthi attacks on commercial ships have increased maritime transport and insurance costs on key trade routes from Europe to Asia. As noted by the Reuters agency, shipping companies have been forced to abandon routes through the Red Sea in favour of longer and more costly voyages along the southern coasts of Africa.

This underlines the complicated situation on trade routes, which have become conflict zones between various groups. This impacts the global economy, forcing companies to seek alternative, often more expensive, solutions.