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International Cooperation Department
Tel.: (+86-21) 65853850-8034
Fax: (+86-21) 65373125
E-mail: ICDept@sisi-smu.org
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International Shipping |
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| Gaza ceasefire unlikely to halt Houthi threat in Red Sea |
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Date:2025-12-02 Readers:
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Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea are unlikely to end despite a ceasefire in Gaza, as the Yemeni rebel group's motives stretch far beyond support for Palestine, according to Matt Reisener of the Center for Maritime Strategy.
The Houthis have struck more than one hundred vessels since October 2023, triggering a 50 per cent collapse in Suez Canal transits and diverting global shipping around the Cape of Good Hope, reported the Center for Maritime Strategy. Although the group has scaled back attacks linked directly to Israel after a May 2025 understanding with the United States, its campaign against maritime commerce continues to serve broader political aims, Mr Reisener said in an article in Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.
The movement, he said, seeks to bolster its legitimacy at home and abroad amid economic hardship, corruption allegations, unpaid salaries, and its lack of international recognition. By disrupting Red Sea trade and issuing safe-transit waivers, the Houthis aim to project themselves as a functioning authority capable of challenging major powers.
Their actions also strengthen ties with Iran, which continues to supply weapons to the group. The Houthis��framing of their attacks as support for Gaza has boosted recruitment and allowed them to outflank regional rivals such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which they accuse of failing to defend the Palestinian cause.
Even if the Gaza ceasefire holds, the Houthis may shift their justification to ongoing grievances with the United States or perceived Israeli actions. Their expanding capabilities, cooperation with armed groups in Sudan and Somalia, and adoption of new maritime tactics suggest that the threat to shipping will persist.
Mr Reisener argues that only a political settlement to Yemen's iinternal conflict will end the Houthi campaign against Red Sea commerce.
https://www.shippingazette.com/news?news_id=9251100000887
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