Houthis Renew Threats and Rhetoric Against Shipping to Israel

Citing what it called “rapid developments,” the Houthis announced a renewed escalation of their blockade against ships and shipping companies supporting Israel. Hours after releasing its latest threats, the group released a six-minute propaganda video with the crew from the Eternity C dry bulk carrier, which the militants attacked and sank last month.

A spokesperson for the militant group said it was warning “all companies to cease their dealings with Israeli ports.” The group went on to say, “Otherwise, their ships, regardless of their destination, will be targeted anywhere that can be reached or within the reach of our missiles and drones.”

The Houthis said they were calling on all countries, “if they want to avoid this escalation,” to pressure Israel to stop the aggression and permit humanitarian aid to reach the citizens of Gaza. The group also said there was “shameful silence” among the Arab, Islamic, and international world.

The move came as the United States and Israel said they had walked away from negotiations with Hamas, with each side blaming the other for the latest failure in the ceasefire talks. Israel, however, said it would take a tactical pause and promised efforts to get more aid into Gaza. Speaking during his trip to Scotland, Donald Trump also called for more efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The Houthis are calling this escalation the “fourth phase” of their naval blockade. They, however, have repeatedly said they would be blockading Israeli ports and targeting ships and the companies sending ships to Israel.

In today’s propaganda video, the reported crewmembers of the Eternity C are heard to say to their captors that they were told by the master of the ship that they were going to stop in Eilat to load fertilizer. The undated video appears to have been shot mostly in the hospital room of one of the individuals who is in bed, and several others can be seen with bandages.

The Associated Press is reporting that the Houthis have taken captive 11 crewmembers from the Eternity C, with the company having acknowledged the death of four crewmembers. The others were rescued by salvage vessels sent by the vessel’s operators and reportedly taken to Saudi Arabia. In the video, however, only ten people appear to be included. The Houthis have repeatedly asserted that they “successfully rescued” an unspecified number of crew, who were taken to a “safe location” and provided medical care. The group previously held the crew of the car carrier Galaxy Leader for 14 months despite repeated international calls to release the civilian crewmembers from the merchant ship, which was the first the Houthis attacked in November 2023.

After the two ships were sunk and the crewmembers killed aboard the Eternity C, there were reports that the Israelis asked the United States to resume its assaults on the Houthis. Donald Trump had declared that the group had been stopped when the U.S. suspended its attacks in May after two months. Trump has not responded to the killing of the crewmembers and the sinking of the two ships.

EUNAVFOR Aspides released another picture, this time of the Greek HS Psar, which it said has completed another protection mission for merchant ships in the Red Sea region. It continues to escort ships through the region as part of its defensive mission, which the EU extended till early 2026.