Houthi Forces Threaten to Target Ex-Israeli Ships, Even After Resale

In a statement Sunday, Yemen's Houthi rebel group pledged to target ships formerly owned by Israeli companies, even after the vessels are resold and no longer have a tangible link to Israel. The announcement appears to broaden the list of available targets that the group can choose from amongst the passing traffic. 

The Houthi rebels have been launching missile and drone attacks on civilian shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since last fall. The group claims that it targets vessel linked to Israel and its Western allies, but in practice, the terrorist group has repeatedly attacked ships that have no clear connection to Israeli shipping interests or cargo movements. The vast majority of container ship traffic has rerouted away from the Red Sea, along with a lesser but still substantial percentage of tanker and bulker traffic. 

In a statement Sunday, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said that the group believes Israeli shipping interests are taking steps to hide their ships' true ownership in order to evade the "punitive measures" that Houthi forces have imposed in the Red Sea. These claimed evasive efforts include selling vessels or re-registering them under the names of third parties, Saree said. 

"The Yemeni Armed Forces will not take into consideration any change in ownership or flags of the ships of the Israeli enemy, and warns all concerned parties dealing with these companies or ships are subject to punishment," Saree warned. "This blockade will continue until . . . the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted and the aggression on Lebanon stops."

Houthi forces have repeatedly targeted vessels that were once connected to Israeli interests but have since changed hands. Maritime security analysts have long speculated that the group could be using outdated database information for targeting purposes. 

The last ship targeted by a Houthi strike was a Greek-owned bulker, the Motaro, which had no recent record of Israeli port calls or connections to Israeli business interests. Saree confirmed the targeting of the Motaro, and said that it was picked because the shipping company - not the ship itself - had allegedly continued to operate vessels to and from Israeli seaports. Motaro's operator has three bulkers under management, and AIS records show no signs that any of them have called in Israel in the last three years.