Houthis issue 24-hour ultimatum to Israel: Aid Gaza or else

The Iranian-backed Houthi terror group in Yemen has delivered a stark ultimatum to Israel: allow humanitarian aid into Gaza within 24 hours or face renewed attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea. The threat, issued today (Tuesday), marks a sharp escalation from the group amid the collapse of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, raising fears of a broader regional flare-up.

According to Srugim News, senior Houthi officials warned that failure to deliver aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip by Wednesday evening would trigger immediate action to block Israeli vessels in the strategic waterway. Hizam al-Assad, a member of the Houthi political bureau, doubled down in an interview with Hamas’s official newspaper, vowing a “full-scale war” if fighting resumes in Gaza. “We will attack American interests in the region if they defend the Zionist entity or support its aggression against our people in Gaza,” he said, also threatening retaliation if Yemen is targeted.

The ultimatum follows a string of Houthi provocations in recent days, spurred by the breakdown of a fragile ceasefire and hostage release deal brokered in late February 2025. That agreement, which freed six hostages including Omer Wenkert, crumbled over disputes on enforcement, leaving 97 still captive in Gaza as of last week, per Israeli estimates. The Houthis, aligned with Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” alongside Hamas and Hezbollah, have seized on the impasse to flex their muscle, tying their actions to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, where over 41,000 Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza health officials.

The Red Sea, a vital artery for global trade, has been a Houthi target since late 2023. The group has launched dozens of drone and missile attacks on commercial and Israeli-linked ships, disrupting shipping lanes and prompting U.S. and UK airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen—most recently in January 2025, killing 17 militants, per Pentagon reports. Israel has bolstered its naval presence in the region, with the INS Magen destroyer deployed off Eilat, though no direct Houthi strikes on Israeli vessels have been confirmed since a December 2024 lull.

Al-Assad’s warning of a regional war echoes Houthi rhetoric from earlier this year, when leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi pledged solidarity with Gaza, claiming over 70 attacks in the Red Sea by February 2025. The group’s arsenal, bolstered by Iranian-supplied drones and ballistic missiles, poses a credible threat, though experts note their capabilities remain limited against fortified targets. The U.S., which labels the Houthis a terrorist organization, has signaled readiness for further strikes, with the Pentagon announcing on March 3 plans to target Houthi leaders—a move that could now accelerate if the ultimatum is acted upon.

Humanitarian deliveries to Gaza have slowed amid the ceasefire collapse, with UN agencies reporting just 20 trucks entered daily last week—far below the 500 needed—due to Israeli restrictions and ongoing combat near Rafah.

As the clock ticks down, the Houthi ultimatum hangs over a region already on edge, testing Israel’s resolve and the fragile balance of power in the Middle East.