London, January 20, 2025: Yemen’s Houthi forces announced they would restrict attacks on commercial vessels to those with Israeli links after the Gaza ceasefire came into effect. This announcement was conveyed by the Yemen-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center (HOCC) in an email to shipping industry officials dated January 19.
The HOCC, which coordinates between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, stated that “sanctions” on vessels owned by U.S. or British entities, or sailing under their flags, would no longer apply. However, the group warned that these measures could be reinstated if the United States or the United Kingdom engaged in aggression against Yemen.
“We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America or the United Kingdom, the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor,” the email stated. “You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented.”
The Houthis further declared they would halt targeting Israeli-linked ships “upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement.”
The announcement comes as global shipping companies continue to divert their vessels around southern Africa to avoid attacks in the Red Sea. Since November 2023, Houthi forces have carried out over 100 attacks on ships, sinking two vessels, seizing another, and killing at least four seafarers. Their attacks have targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, connected by the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, a critical chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
This development follows the first day of a ceasefire in Gaza, during which Hamas released three Israeli hostages, and Israel freed 90 Palestinian prisoners. The truce has paused a devastating 15-month conflict that ravaged Gaza and intensified tensions across the Middle East.
