Yemen’s Houthis warn ships in Red Sea to avoid Israel or face attack

The Houthis said they hit a Norwegian commercial tanker with a missile on Tuesday. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA

A senior official from Yemen’s Houthis has warned cargo ships in the Red Sea to avoid travelling towards Israel and the occupied territories, after the Iran-aligned group claimed an attack on a commercial tanker earlier in the day.

Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, the head of Yemen’s Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, said ships should avoid heading towards Israel and that any that pass Yemen should keep their radios turned on and quickly respond to Houthi attempts at communication.