Yemen’s Houthis posted a video on social media depicting a ship on fire in what appears to be a veiled threat to Red Sea shipping as tensions in the Middle East escalate again.
A short video by the Houthis posted Sunday on X included previously published images of a ship on fire, with the caption: “Soon.”
The Houthis are responsible for the mass diversion of commercial vessels away from the Red Sea, having attacked vessels in the waterway with drones and missiles since late 2023. Major container shipping firms instead sailed around southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, ultimately adding two-plus weeks to ocean freight transit times.
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CMA CGM and Maersk are among the ocean carriers that have returned limited services to the Suez Canal route two months after the Houthis said they would suspend their campaign in the Red Sea. But CMA CGM seemed to pull back on the commitment upon confirming that three services recently shifted to the Red Sea would return to the Cape of Good Hope.
Peter Sand, chief analyst at freight benchmarking platform Xeneta said CMA CGM’s move “proves the point that assessing risk in that region is tricky.” Ahead of the Houthi video’s release, Sand told Sourcing Journal that Xeneta still anticipated a larger Red Sea shipping return in 2026. He noted it would be more likely to occur in the second half.
“Three to five months is our take on a return timeline,” said Sand.
Tensions in the wider region are rising as mass protests throughout Iran have resulted in the deaths of thousands, with the White House mulling a possible strike on the country. Last summer, the U.S. struck Iran to aid Israel in its 12-day conflict with the country, badly damaging the nation’s nuclear facilities.
At the time, concerns existed that Iran’s military could block off access to the Strait of Hormuz if the conflict escalated. No military action was taken.
“The video is intended to be a stark reminder of Houthi capabilities and a deterrent to the U.S. and its allies against military activity against Iran,” said Martin Kelly, head of advisory at security risk and crisis management company EOS Risk Group, in a post on X.
The Yemeni War Media account posted the Houthi video, claiming that the footage of the burning ship is that of the U.K.-flagged Marlin Luanda, which was a fuel tanker struck by a Houthi missile in the Gulf of Aden in January 2024.
That account followed up the initial post Monday with a nine-minute video further detailing the Marlin Luanda operation, including footage of the attacks. An officer in the video explained that the Yemeni Armed Forces deliberately targeted the vessel in the Gulf of Aden, aiming to send a message to adversaries that locations in the area were within the forces’ reach.
On Saturday, various Houthi-linked accounts on X posted a separate video from Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, which reinforced the rebel faction’s support for Palestine in the event of an attack on Iran.
“As the likelihood of launching a military strike against Iran escalates, we reaffirm our stance with our dear Yemeni people, with its great people and faithful leadership and mujahid army, and its standing alongside any Arab or Islamic country that faces Zionist aggression or decides to confront this aggression in self-defense, or in support and backing of the mujahideen in the Palestinian resistance,” Saree said.
The Houthis had long claimed their Red Sea presence was due to the Israel-Hamas war, with the Iran-aligned militants claiming the hostilities were in solidarity with Palestinians impacted by the conflict.
On Monday U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is currently deployed to the Middle East amid “instability in the region.” The aircraft carrier and three accompanying warships have operated in the Indian Ocean since Jan. 20, entering CENTCOM-covered waters on Monday.
“We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” President Donald Trump told Axios Monday. The president said he believes the country’s leaders are seeking a diplomatic agreement with the U.S.
“They want to make a deal. I know so,” Trump said. “They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk.”
