The Houthis have threatened a full naval blockade of Israel’s critical port in Haifa. This comes after the terror group has threatened an aerial blockade of Ben-Gurion International Airport.
By Rachel Avraham
Yemen’s Houthi terrorist group announced late on Monday that it was expanding its campaign against Israel by imposing a “naval blockade” on the Haifa Port, JNS reported. According to the report, the military spokesman of the Iranian-backed rebels, Yahya Saree, warned that vessels en route to or docked at the key Israeli commercial hub in the north of the country would now be considered military targets.
“All companies with ships present in or heading to this port are hereby notified … the aforementioned port has been included in the target bank,” Saree declared in a televised statement. According to JNS, the Houthis claim that this is in response to Israeli activity in the Gaza Strip.
Around the same period of time, the Houthi rebels in Yemen issued a warning to Israel: evacuate Ben Gurion International Airport ahead of a missile attack, Yedioth Achronot reported. According to the report, it was the second such warning in less than 24 hours and included an image marking the area of the airport.
This latest Houthi threat comes after on Sunday, senior Houthi official Nasr al-Din Amer issued a warning on behalf of the rebels, stating that military actions targeting Ben Gurion Airport and other airports in Israel are expected to take place in the coming hours, Arutz Sheva reported. The Houthis have claimed a blockade of Ben Gurion Airport, but have not come close to such a goal, even in light of a recent missile attack on the airport that caused a slew of foreign carriers to cancel their routes, the Times of Israel reported.
Following the latest Houthi threats, Air France announced Tuesday that it will extend its suspension of flights to Israel until May 24, following months of disruptions caused by the ongoing security situation, Yedioth Achronot reported. According to the report, the French national carrier had been expected to resume service this week.
Earlier in the day, Yedioth Achronot reported that Germany’s Lufthansa Group—which includes Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings—also extended its suspension of flights to Israel until at least June 8. According to the report, Lufthansa had planned to restart flights on May 26.
However, the Houthis have not been successfully in intimidating all international airlines. Yedioth Achronot reported that Delta Airlines resumed its daily nonstop service from New York’s JFK Airport to Tel Aviv on Monday. According to the report, the airline stated that the decision followed a “comprehensive risk assessment,” and that it continues to monitor the security situation and adjust operations based on intelligence and security guidelines.
Similarly, Yedioth Achronot reported that Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air, which resumed flights to Israel last week, is celebrating its 21st anniversary with a week of special offers. On Tuesday, it announced discounts of up to 21% on bookings made via its website or mobile app, Yedioth Achronot stressed.
