EU Warns Israeli- and U.S.-Linked Ships to Avoid Red Sea Amid Houthi Saudi Embargo

The European Union’s naval mission in the Red Sea has raised its threat assessment for the North Red Sea after Yemen’s Houthi movement expanded its maritime campaign to include vessels trading with Saudi Arabia, warning that merchant ships linked to Israeli, U.S., or Saudi interests should avoid the region.

In an advisory issued Wednesday, Operation ASPIDES increased the threat level for the North Red Sea from Low to Medium, bringing the entire Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden under a Medium threat assessment. 

The advisory follows the Houthis’ announcement on this week that they were imposing a