Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree warned on Tuesday evening that the Iran-backed terrorist group had added the port of Haifa to its “target bank,” warning foreign shipping companies to avoid docking there.
“All companies and entities must cease their connections with the port of Haifa, which has become part of the target bank,” Saree warned in a video statement. He added: “The criminal enemy [Israel] should expect more and more from us in support and aid to our brothers in Gaza.”
The Houthis will continue their attacks until the “aggression” against Hamas in Gaza ends and the blockade of the Strip is lifted, Saree said.
In May, Saree had already warned that commercial vessels en route to or docked at the Haifa port would now be considered “military targets” by the Houthis. “All companies with ships present in or heading to this port are hereby notified,” the spokesman warned in a televised statement.
Hazam al-Assad, a top member of the terror group’s “political” wing, wrote in Hebrew that Tuesday night’s ballistic missile attack on Israel marked a “new phase of Yemeni deterrence and the destruction of the enemy.”
“We reiterate the warning to airlines not to operate at the occupied Lod airport (known as ‘Ben Gurion’), and place full responsibility on them for any risk that may arise from ignoring this warning,” wrote al-Assad.
The Houthis have escalated their aerial attacks on Israel in recent weeks, including a direct hit near Ben-Gurion International Airport on May 4.
On Tuesday night, the Israel Defense Forces shot down a missile launched at the Jewish state by the Iranian-backed terror group.
The attack triggered air-raid sirens throughout Tel Aviv, as well as in the Jerusalem area, prompting millions of Israeli civilians to rush to bomb shelters. There were no immediate reports of injuries in the assault.
As a result of the interception, fragments of the ballistic missile were scattered throughout the Jewish state, with shrapnel reported in the greater Jerusalem area, including in Beitar Illit and Tzur Hadassah.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli Navy attacked the Houthi-controlled port of Hudaydah, reportedly marking the first time that naval forces were used in an operation in Yemen instead of Israeli Air Force fighter jets.
Missile ships struck terrorist targets at the port following “the aggression of the Houthi terrorist regime” against the Jewish state and its citizens, including the launching of ballistic missiles and drones, the IDF said.
Jerusalem has conducted multiple rounds of attacks against the Houthis since last summer, mainly in retaliation for Houthi missile and drone attacks. The terrorist group claims these attacks are intended to end Israel’s military campaign against the Hamas terror group in Gaza.
