The Ansarallah movement in Yemen has announced the beginning of operations to impose a naval blockade on the Israeli port of Haifa, marking a significant escalation in its military campaign in solidarity with Gaza.

The announcement came in a televised statement delivered by the group's military spokesman on Monday evening.

The spokesman confirmed that Ansarallah forces are "implementing the leadership's directives to begin work on imposing a naval blockade on the port of Haifa."

He added that all companies using the port should take this development seriously, as Haifa has now been added to their "bank of targets."

This move comes after what the group describes as the successful imposition of a siege on the port of Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat), which halted operations there.

The spokesman reiterated that the decision is a direct response to Israel's ongoing military assault on Gaza and its blockade of food and medical supplies into the Strip.

"We inform all companies with ships present in or heading to the port that Haifa has been included in the target list, effective immediately," the spokesman stated.

In recent days, Ansarallah has also intensified its aerial operations against Israel.

On Sunday, the group announced that it had targeted Ben Gurion Airport twice within a 24-hour period -- first with two ballistic missiles, including a hypersonic 'Palestine 2' missile and a 'Zulfiqar' missile, and then with a Yaffa drone on Saturday.

According to Ansarallah, the attacks achieved their objectives, temporarily halting air traffic and sending millions of Israelis into bomb shelters.

Israel's military confirmed that it intercepted one missile launched from Yemen on Sunday morning. Air raid sirens were activated across central Israel, including Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and parts of the occupied West Bank. One Israeli civilian was reportedly injured while fleeing to a shelter in Bat Yam, south of Tel Aviv.

The missile strikes on Ben Gurion followed Israeli attacks on Friday evening targeting Yemen's Hodeidah and Salif ports. Israel also threatened to assassinate Ansarallah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi should the missile launches continue.

In response, Ansarallah's deputy media chief Nasr al-Din Amer vowed to escalate military operations, stating on X, "The Yemeni armed forces will expand operations in response to the expansion of Israeli aggression in Gaza and the continued targeting of Yemen's ports."

This latest escalation marks the ninth Israeli airstrike on Yemen since the beginning of the war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, and the third since fighting resumed on March 18 following a two-month pause.

The naval blockade on Haifa coincides with Israel's launch of a new military campaign in Gaza, which reportedly includes plans to reoccupy the entire territory.