Houthi rebels in Yemen tried to hit Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport with a missile this week, after sinking two ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis say they are increasing attacks to support Palestinians in Gaza and pressure Israel to stop the war.
A Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said on Thursday that the group fired a ballistic missile at the airport. However, the Israeli military said it successfully stopped the missile.
At the same time, maritime sources told Reuters that the Houthis are holding six crew members from a ship named Eternity C, which was attacked on Monday. The Eternity C was run by a Greek company and sailed under a Liberian flag. At least four sailors died in the attack.
According to the EU naval force Aspides, there were 25 people on the ship. Ten crew members were rescued from the sea after the ship sank on Tuesday. Eleven are still missing — six are believed to be in Houthi custody.
The Houthis claim they rescued the six crew members and are giving them medical care. But the US Embassy in Yemen said the group actually kidnapped them after killing their colleagues and sinking the ship.
The Eternity C attack came just one day after the Houthis sank another ship called Magic Seas. In that case, all crew members were safely rescued.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have attacked over 100 ships in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Arabian Sea. They say these attacks are meant to protest Israel’s war in Gaza.
Houthi leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday that no ship linked to Israel will be allowed to pass through those waters. He added that some companies had broken this rule, leading to the latest attacks.
Because of these incidents, insurance costs for ships crossing the Red Sea have nearly doubled. War risk premiums are now around 0.7% of a ship’s value, up from 0.3% last week, experts told Reuters.
After Sunday’s attack on the Magic Seas, the Houthis warned that ships owned by companies connected to Israel are now “legitimate targets.” They said they will keep blocking Israeli shipping until the Gaza war ends and the blockade is lifted.
In response to the attacks, Israel launched airstrikes on Yemen late Sunday. It bombed several ports and a power station along the coast. Israel said it also hit a ship called Galaxy Leader, which the Houthis had captured in late 2023 and kept in Ras Isa port.
The Houthis had held the Galaxy Leader’s 25 crew members for 430 days before releasing them in January this year.