The Houthis, Yemen’s Iran-backed terror group, said on Monday that they would ban ships linked to Israel from the Red Sea after fighting between Jerusalem and Tehran renewed, adding to concerns about global shipping and energy flows.

The rebel group also fired two missiles at Israel on Monday, setting off sirens in the Tel Aviv area. One was intercepted and one failed to reach the country, the IDF said.

The Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America, Death to Israel, [and] a Curse on the Jews” — first began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after the October 7 Hamas-led massacre. In response, Israel attacked the Houthis in Yemen, located some 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) away, 19 times with the Israeli Air Force and Israeli Navy.

Amid ceasefires between Israel and Hamas — between January and March 2025, and since October 2025 — the Houthis largely held their fire.

Here is why the ban announced by the Houthis matters and what it means for the Iran war and the global energy crisis:

How big is the risk to global energy markets?

Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz since the beginning of the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic on February 28 has disrupted most oil and other energy exports from the Gulf, raising prices and causing a major energy shock.

Saudi Arabia has responded by diverting more than 70 percent of its normal daily crude exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. That has been a lifeline for the energy market, helping to keep down global oil prices.

Any sustained Houthi disruption to Red Sea shipping, including potential attacks on shipping or ports, could be a big problem.

When the Houthis launched attacks on Red Sea shipping in November 2023, after the October 7 massacre, Gulf oil exports were flowing freely, meaning cargoes were diverted to avoid the Red Sea, but not halted. But this time, they are being loaded there.

A Houthi........

© The Times of Israel