In a social media post on X, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare'e said they will now prevent the navigation of all ships heading to Israel "from any nationality."

"We warn all ships and companies to avoid dealing with Israeli ports," he added.

At the same time, the spokesperson highlighted, "The Yemeni Armed Forces reaffirms its full commitment to the safe continuation of the global trade movement through the Red and Arab Seas for all ships and all countries with the exception of ships affiliated to Israel or transporting commodities to Israeli ports."

Since the beginning of the conflict in the Middle East, Houthi rebels attacked several ships, including container vessels.

Liners such as ONE, ZIM, and Maersk had announced that they were diverting a number of their ships in the wake of the attacks.

This new development comes only days after an announcement by the Houthis that they will only attack ships belonging to Israel "or those related to it".

In the meantime, the US has said that not all the ships targeted in the past weeks had that link. As a result, analysts have questioned how accurately the Houthis can identify and target vessels.

A CNN report mentioned that the US and its allies have discussed ways to increase security in the area.

The discussions included "the possibility of escorting ships operating in the Red Sea and through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait into the Gulf of Aden."