Yemen’s Houthis have carried out a military operation against a Norwegian commercial tanker, vowing to block any ships heading to Israeli ports until Israel allows the entry of food and medical aid into Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.

Since October, the Houthis have acted on five occasions:

• On October 31, the Houthis said they launched a “large number” of ballistic missiles and drones towards Israel and warned they would carry out more attacks “until the Israeli aggression stops”.

• On November 19, the group announced it hijacked a cargo ship in the Red Sea, which it said was owned by an Israeli. On the same day, the Houthis announced they would target any Israeli-owned vessel.

• On December 3, the Houthis targeted two Israeli ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

• On December 10, a French frigate said it shot down two drones over the Red Sea that were believed to be approaching from the coast of Yemen.

• On December 11, a source in the Houthi group told Al Jazeera that it could divert the destination of two ships after sending them a warning.