Overview

• In announcing the fourth phase of their Red Sea campaign, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree warned that vessels operated by companies calling at Israeli ports will be targeted regardless of nationality or destination.
• Early July attacks on the Greek-owned Magic Seas and Eternity C left crew members dead, others taken captive and marked a breach of the mid-May ceasefire.
• Greece has deployed a salvage vessel to the Red Sea to aid maritime rescues and protect global shipping amid renewed Houthi threats.
• The blockade imperils a corridor carrying about $1 trillion in goods annually and reflects the retreat of Western naval forces from sustained patrols.
• Houthis demand that Israel end its Gaza offensive and lift its blockade, insisting their military operations will cease only once those conditions are met.