Right, so the Houthis have done it again, another masterstroke in the art of causing Israel the biggest of headaches as they continue to level Gaza and again you have to wonder what on Earth Israel can do about it. They no longer have the US to help them fight the Houthis, their own efforts in trying to do so, as ever by striking civilians and civilian areas, because its just what they do aren’t having an ounce of impact and actually, this latest move by the Houthis might have been inspired by Israel’s own actions no less, which adds a delicious slice of irony into the bargain.
Where the Houthis continue to blockade shipping in the Red Sea, having virtually bankrupted the Israeli port of Eilat and have been successfully blockading Israeli commercial flights with their strikes on Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and several others as well, what the Houthis are now doing is expanding that shipping blockade once more, now pledging to strike at shipping that may be headed to Israel’s northern port of Haifa, a target the Houthis have struck before, but is it just me, or isn’t this move awfully reminiscent of what Israel allegedly did to the Freedom Flotilla vessel off the coast of Malta?
Right, so the context of Israel’s ongoing and catastrophic military campaign in Gaza, amid growing international discontent and some minimal responses by some western governments in that regard, not least from here in the UK, regional responses to Israeli atrocity have been intensifying instead. Of these, none have been more provocative than the actions taken by the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen, the Houthis, who have built up quite the fandom worldwide for their ongoing and determined actions against Israel when nobody else has seemed prepared to.
Initially perceived as a ragtag bunch of misfits entrenched in Yemen’s governance, they’ve proven to be far more than that, the Houthis increasingly asserting themselves as regional players not to be trifled with, as sending Doanld Trump’s forces home with their tails between their legs has gone on to show. They have demonstrated their solidarity with Gaza through unprecedented acts of disruption: first by blockading the Red Sea, with drones and dinghies, a non naval force not needing one to instigate a naval blockade, before more recently moving on to targeting Israeli airports—most notably Ben Gurion International Airport—and now by threatening Israel’s primary Mediterranean gateway, the Port of Haifa, with a naval blockade, they could theoretically be on the verge of shutting down aid to Israel as much as Israel have closed down aid to Gaza.
It is impossible for it to have escaped attention that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has escalated into a nightmare of genocide, even if some still can’t bring themselves to say it. As of this month, over 52,000 Palestinians have been killed, tens of thousands of whom are women and children. Gaza’s infrastructure lies in ruins. Famine is widespread. Hospitals and schools have been deliberately targeted and we’ve seen it all play out5 before our eyes in harrowing video footage on social media. Israel’s justification—the war against Hamas—has drawn growing scrutiny as the scope and scale of its attacks suggest a deliberate policy of collective punishment, constituting genocide beyond doubt in my view given so many of those who have lost their lives, lost everything, have not been Hamas at all, but innocent Gazans caught up in the middle, though of course for too many in Israel, there’s no difference between who is Hamas and who isn’t.
While Western powers such as the United States and United Kingdom have continued to shield Israel from accountability at the UN and beyond, paying only the slightest bit of criticism for what is happening, going only so far as to say Israel risks breaking international law when we’re well beyond that point now, nations across the Global South—alongside civil society groups from around the world—have condemned the campaign in unequivocal terms.
It is in this context that the Houthis have stepped forward, not merely with statements of solidarity, but with action aimed at materially undermining Israel’s capacity to sustain its military operations. For them it is about what is right and just, to stand by their Arab brothers, their fellow Muslims, that this is about so much more than geopolitics its about common decency and what is ethically and morally right. Capitalist nations and mindsets struggle with this concept I think.
The first major signal of Houthi escalation since Israel collapsed the Gaza ceasefire was of course to target international airlines: any flights into or out of Israeli airports, especially Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, would be considered legitimate military targets. This announcement, notably following a successful strike near the airport saw airlines cancel flights, and thus the Houthi plan to blockade Israel’s skies has been a success.
In the days that followed, many airlines suspended service to Israel, citing safety concerns and as strikes continued, these have been extended by many. The success of this aerial campaign—without launching a single fatal strike incidentally—lies in its deterrent value. By creating a credible threat, the Houthis succeeded in isolating Israel in a crucial domain for it - international travel and logistics.
Houthi officials reiterated that as long as the genocide in Gaza continues, the aerial campaign will escalate. Moreover, they stated that all Israeli airports remain on their list of potential targets, underscoring the campaign’s longevity and seriousness.
And now emboldened perhaps by their success in the skies, the Houthis have turned their attention to Israel’s maritime vulnerabilities. On Monday of this week the Yemeni armed forces officially declared that the Port of Haifa—Israel’s busiest Mediterranean port—was now under blockade as well. The Houthis didn’t need their own Navy to blockade the Red Sea, now they figure they can do likewise for all the shipping avoiding the Red Sea and going the long way around, to target shipping heading Israel’s way via the Mediterranean. All commercial ships have now been warned that docking at or departing from Haifa would make them potential targets for missile or drone strikes.
This declaration is historic and if they can pull it off Israel really is stuffed, so reliant on sea trade as their economy is. It marks the first time the Houthis have extended their blockade strategy beyond the Red Sea and into the Eastern Mediterranean, though we knew some time ago they were capable of reaching that far. The Houthis issued a televised statement on such things as they usually do, part of which reads:
‘All companies with ships currently at or heading toward the aforementioned port (Haifa Port) are hereby informed that Haifa Port has from this moment become part of the target bank, and they must take the contents of this statement — and future ones — into full consideration.’
Haifa is not just any port. It is Israel’s main maritime artery, handling millions of tons of cargo annually, including vital imports such as food, fuel, and medical supplies. It also lies near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon—a region long seen as Israel’s most vulnerable flank. The Houthis' ability to threaten Haifa proves they possess operational capabilities far beyond Yemen’s borders.
Now I looked at this story and I though, hang on a minute, is this not what Israel did to that Freedom Flotilla ship off the coast of Malta the other week? Struck a ship heading for Gaza and now the Houthis basically say the same to any ship or shipping company that might try and dock in Haifa.
Though Israel has not confirmed responsibility for that attack, various reports—including statements from the ship’s crew—suggest that an Israeli military aircraft was operating in the area at the time. The attack, which left the ship, the Conscience, disabled and in need of rescue, has been condemned internationally as a blatant act of aggression against a civilian-led humanitarian mission.
Oddly enough, Freedom Flotilla published an update on the situation with regards to the Conscience just yesterday:
‘Firstly, we are relieved to confirm that the remaining 12 crew members who remained stranded at sea have now safely returned to their home countries. After over two weeks of unjustifiable delay and denial of safe harbor, Maltese authorities finally permitted them to disembark and depart. These volunteers faced not only the trauma of unprovoked Israeli military strikes, but also the risk of further attacks while stranded. Their safe return is a testament to their courage, perseverance and steadfast commitment to challenging Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza.
Secondly, after two weeks of persistent requests, Maltese authorities have finally released the long-delayed Marine Casualty Damage Report for the Conscience. These findings confirm key facts that the FFC has asserted from the beginning:
· The vessel was subject to two aerial attacks.
· There was no internal explosion that occurred; all damage resulted from external impacts.
· The fire onboard was directly caused by the aerial strikes on the upper deck, which triggered cascading structural failures.
· No high-risk or flammable substances were found inside the vessel that could have caused or contributed to an internal explosion.
· There were no weapons onboard.
· There was humanitarian aid onboard, though the report does not quantify it.
Despite these critical findings, Maltese and European Union authorities have still not permitted an independent, international forensic investigation of the Conscience—a demand the FFC has made repeatedly. This refusal to ensure full transparency and accountability is deeply troubling.’
Clearly more to come on that story, I don’t get the impression the FFC are giving up on it.
But it seems to me that the Houthis have drawn two conclusions from that event. First, that Israel’s ability to project force across maritime routes is itself used as a form of blockade against Gaza. Second, that similar tactics—threatening or attacking ships—could be used to impose a reverse blockade on Israel, so the message is clear: if Israel can target aid ships for Gaza, then the Houthis can target commercial ships serving Israel in basically the same way.
By threatening Israel’s port and airspace, the Houthis are waging economic warfare against a country they know is suffering badly as its economy tanks and we know the Houthis know what they are doing here does this due to a statement that came out the other day, where a Houthi official went on the record as saying that that international commerce, especially from Gulf states funnelled through new deals that they are doing with the US, should be redirected or used to halt the genocide in Gaza. They warned that financial deals enabling Israel’s war crimes would also be targeted in the future as a shot across the bows to the likes of the UAE.
The implications of a successful blockade of Haifa though are enormous. Not only would it signal a significant breach in Israel’s economic resilience, but it would also demonstrate that non-state actors can impose meaningful consequences on a state armed with one of the world’s most sophisticated militaries. Their reliance on trade beyond their immediate neighbours is a significant economic weakness of Israel’s and the Houthis might just be able to exploit it.
Their actions have created a dilemma for shipping companies, airlines, and even states: do they risk being targeted to maintain business with Israel? Is that profitable? Capitalism being played as it were, the Houthis just never cease to surprise.
The Houthis' decision to blockade Haifa—and previously, Ben Gurion Airport—is not a random escalation. It is a calculated response to what they, and many others across the world, see as an unfolding genocide in Gaza. Whether you agree with their tactics or not, their campaign forces a necessary question, which I think they provide an answer for in that how should the world respond when states act with impunity and international institutions fail to intervene? Well this works doesn’t it?
I daresay we’ll see how they get on!
Meanwhile, in a further headache to Israel, and in what ostensibly is being argued as the reason the US beat a hasty retreat from fighting the Houthis, it looks like the US top of the range bomber the F-35, might not be Houthi proof, given they almost show one down using a cold war era mobile air defence system! It seems that once you build something up to such a high technological level, the military equivalent of sticks and stones becomes a vulnerability! Get all the details of that story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch.
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