Houthis set condition for ships to enter Yemen's territorial waters

Shafaq News / Houthis Telecommunications Minister Misfer Al-Numair stated that ships must obtain permission from the Maritime Affairs Authority, controlled by the Houthis, before entering Yemeni waters.

The group, aligned with Iran, has been launching drone and missile attacks on international commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden since mid-November, citing solidarity with Palestinians facing Israel's war on Gaza.

These near-daily attacks have forced companies to divert to longer and more costly routes around Africa, fueling concerns that the conflict between Israel and Hamas could destabilize the Middle East.

In response to these attacks, the United States and Britain have targeted Houthis assets.

The scope of waters affected by the Houthi decision extends halfway to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is 20 kilometers wide and serves as the gateway to the Red Sea, through which about 15% of global shipping traffic transits to and from the Suez Canal.

Al Masirah TV quoted Al-Numair as saying, "Maritime cable ships must obtain permission from the Maritime Affairs Authority in Sanaa before entering Yemeni territorial waters."

The channel, the main television news outlet run by the group, also quoted Al-Numair as saying, "The Ministry of Telecommunications is ready to assist in meeting permit requests and providing ship identification to the Yemeni naval forces, emphasizing our commitment to their safety."

HGC Global Communications, based in Hong Kong, said on Monday that at least four underwater communication cables were damaged last week in the Red Sea, without specifying the cause.

It estimated that the damage affected 25% of data flow under the Red Sea and announced a plan to reroute data through other lines.

Houthis Telecommunications Ministery blamed US and British attacks for any damage to the cables on Saturday.

In the latest incident, the British Maritime Trade Operations Agency said, on Monday, that it received a report of a ship being damaged by two explosions, 91 nautical miles southeast of Aden.

It added that there were no casualties and the ship was sailing to its next destination.