Houthis threaten ships in Red Sea if Israel carries out Rafah operation
The Houthis threatened to "prevent all ships of these companies from passing through" the Red Sea if the Israeli operation in Rafah goes forward in a social media post Friday.
The Iranian-backed paramilitary group said in a Telegram post that if Israel goes through with its plans it would "impose comprehensive sanctions on all ships of companies that are related to supplying and entering the occupied Palestinian ports of any nationality."
The Houthis, who have attacked U.S.- and U.K-flagged commercial ships since the Israel-Hamas conflict began, said they would "not hesitate to prepare for broader and stronger stages of escalation."
-ABC News' Cindy Smith and Ellie Kaufman