Israel threatens air and naval blockade on Yemen's Houthis
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said if the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen continue attacks on the Jewish state, they will respond with a naval and air blockade.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said if the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen continue attacks on the Jewish state, they will respond with a naval and air blockade.
The warning follows overnight strikes on Monday, which for the first time saw Israel's navy target Yemen's Hodeidah Port in retaliation for continued strikes against Israel in the wake of the Gaza war, and a maritime blockade in the Red Sea.
"We warned the Houthi terrorist organization that if they continue to fire at Israel, they will receive a powerful response and enter a naval and air blockade. That's what we did today - and we will continue to do so in the future," Katz said.
According to the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV, Israel targeted the docks of Hodeidah port with two strikes.
Israel's military said: “The port has been struck by the IDF over the past year and continues to be used for terrorist purposes," saying it has been used to transfer weapons for the group, designated as a foreign terrorist organization by countries including the US.
The Houthis have become a serious force in the region. The Council of Foreign Relations says that “Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement has become one of the Middle East’s most potent non-state actors since Israel’s war against Hamas reignited in 2023”.
The Israeli military told Iran International that over 43 missiles have been launched against the Jewish state since January alone.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, Yemen’s Houthis have launched missiles, rockets, and drones toward Israel and enforced a maritime disruption in the Red Sea, in what it describes as support for Palestinians in Gaza. One of the most recent projectiles narrowly missed Israel’s main airport last month.
“Over the past year and a half, the Houthi terrorist regime has been aggressively operating under Iranian direction and funding in order to harm the State of Israel and its allies, undermining regional stability and disrupting global freedom of naval navigation,” the Israeli military said, warning of further strikes to come.
On Tuesday morning, Nasruddin Amer, from the Houthis' media authority, said on X that the latest strikes have "no significant impact on our operations in support of Gaza, nor on preparations for escalation and expansion of operations deep inside the Zionist enemy entity [Israel]".
Key to that mission, Congressman Cory Mills said, was enabling de facto president Ahmed al-Sharaa to scotch what remains of Iran's influence in Syria.
"What do we truly have to lose in this? You know, we know what we have to lose if they ... allow Iran to create a proxy state and what that means for the region and what that means for our allies," Mills said.
Syria’s new leadership is working to stamp out any Iranian activity on its soil, just months after a rebel advance led by al-Sharaa uprooted the Assad dynasty, Tehran's oldest Arab ally.
Damascus has been expelling proxy fighters, cutting off arms transfers to Hezbollah and pursuing new diplomatic partnerships across the region, including potential ties with Israel, Mills told Eye for Iran.
“He’s not allowing these proxy militias to continue to operate there as they did under the Assad regime,” Mills said.
Syria for Syrians
Mills argues this shift presents an opportunity for Washington to engage—both diplomatically and economically—before Russia, China or Iran move to fill the vacuum.
“If we actually open up the platform to allow for contract bidding, to rebuild infrastructure, that is a great first start,” he said, pointing to areas like water, electricity, and telecoms. “This is one of the most strategic geolocations in the entire region.”
Such engagement, he added, would not only counter authoritarian influence—it would create opportunities for American companies, reinforce regional stability, and help prevent Syria from sliding back into sectarian violence.
“The Iranian people could take a lot away from what has happened in Syria,” he said. “This could be them too. But it has to be an Iranian strategy, not an American strategy.”
Sanctions and Syria's new leadership
Until recently, Ahmed al-Sharaa was himself under US sanctions due to his leadership of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an Al-Qaeda affiliated group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the State Department.
On May 13, 2025, President Donald Trump while visiting Saudi Arabia last month made a shock announcement that he was lifting US sanctions on Syria.
Mills stressed that engagement with al-Sharaa must come with clear-eyed realism. “Trust but verify,” he said during the interview. “I think he knows what he has to do. He’s already taken actions that are not just words.”
Diplomatic overtures and regional stability
Mills revealed that al-Sharaa expressed interest in normalizing relations with Israel—albeit cautiously. While no formal talks have begun, the signal alone marks a dramatic shift from the Assad era, which was defined by hostility toward Israel and alignment with Iran and Hezbollah.
“He actually said that we would look at a good relationship and partner with Israel—not the 'Zionist state' ... but he knows the risk that he's taking,” Mills said.
The potential for Syrian-Israeli normalization would echo the Abraham Accords, a US-brokered framework that reshaped parts of the Middle East by bringing Israel into diplomatic relations with several Arab states.
Mills said any future agreements must respect Syria’s sovereignty. “What I don’t support is a balkanization of other sovereign territories,” he said. “I think that good fences make good neighbors.”
The trip to Damascus, however, was not without danger. Mills told Eye for Iran that Islamic State had allegedly plotted to assassinate him while he was in Syria. “They had already put together where they were going to utilize a car bomb,” he said. “They had already put together the location.”
Despite the risks, Mills argued that Syria’s political realignment offers the United States a rare chance to help shape a post-war roadmap—one that sidelines Iran, opens new diplomatic channels and bolsters long-term regional stability.
You can watch the full episode of Eye for Iran with Congressman Cory Mills on YouTube or listen on any major podcast platform like Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music or Castbox.
