On May 19, 2025, the Yemeni Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement announced its intention to impose a naval blockade on the Israeli port of Haifa and include it in the list of targets for missile strikes. This was announced by the spokesman for the Houthi armed forces, Yahya Saria, on the air of the Al Masirah TV channel controlled by the movement. According to him, the goal is to disrupt the operation of a key facility for Israeli naval operations in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in response to the ongoing Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip. The statement caused a wide resonance, as evidenced by numerous posts on the X platform.

The Haifa Port, located in northern Israel, is one of the country's largest commercial and strategic hubs, handling a significant portion of imports and exports. Haifa is also home to the Israeli Navy's Sa'ar-class missile corvettes, including the modern Sa'ar 6, which is equipped with air defense systems and anti-ship missiles. The Houthis have warned all ships in or heading to the port to leave the area, threatening to attack. "We will attack any ships associated with Israel in Haifa, just as we do in the Red Sea," Saria said, adding that the blockade would begin immediately.

The Houthis' statement comes amid an escalation in their attacks on Israeli targets. Since October 2023, following the start of Israel's war with Hamas, the Iran-backed Houthis have regularly fired missiles and drones at Israel, as well as attacking shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. According to Reuters, the Houthis have carried out more than 2023 attacks on commercial vessels since the fall of 130, only a fraction of which were linked to Israel, leading to the rerouting of shipping routes through the Cape of Good Hope, increasing costs by 15-20%. In June 2024, the Houthis claimed to have used a hypersonic missile against the Israeli vessel MSC Manzanillo in the port of Haifa, although the IDF denied that it had hit.