Ships wishing to transit the Red Sea will have to procure a permit from Yemen’s Maritime Affairs Authority before entering Yemeni waters, Telecommunications Minister Misfer Al-Numair said on 4 March.
“[We] are ready to assist requests for permits and identify ships with the Yemeni Navy, and we confirm this is out of concern for their safety,” Numair told Al-Masirah TV.
The territorial waters that require a permit include the Bab al-Mandab Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea. About 15 percent of the world’s shipping traffic passes through this crossing to and from the Suez Canal.
Since November, Yemen has targeted Israeli-linked ships that enter its waters in an act of solidarity with the people of Palestine. Israel has now waged a brutal, five-month offensive on Gaza that has killed at least 30,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children.
On Monday, Yemen’s armed forces released a statement declaring responsibility for an attack against an Israeli ship in the Red Sea.
Stop the genocide in Gaza and we will stop our military operations against America, Britain and Israel.
— محمد البخيتي(Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti) (@M_N_Albukhaiti) March 4, 2024
Isn't this a just, moral and humane demand? pic.twitter.com/ZRmB5tgEz4
“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a targeting operation against an Israeli ship ‘MSC SKY’ in the Arabian Sea with a number of suitable naval missiles, and the hit was accurate and direct,” the statement read.
It also noted that the targeting of “MSC SKY” came hours after the Yemeni armed forces carried “out a qualitative operation during which the missile force and unmanned air force launched a number of ballistic missiles and drones at a number of enemy American warships in the Red Sea.”
In retaliation for the Yemeni attacks, the US and UK have conducted multiple airstrikes against targets in Yemen, including in the capital, Sanaa.
In the latter half of February, Yemen successfully launched an attack targeting the UK’s Rubymar cargo ship. The ship sank on 3 March after days of taking on water.