ISRAELI Premier Benjamin Netanyahu ratcheted up regional tensions on Wednesday, threatening Iran with “all Israel’s arms” if it blocks a key strait off the Yemeni coast.

Referring to a recent Houthi attack on a Saudi oil tanker, a belligerent Mr Netanyahu issued the warning at a graduation ceremony for naval officers. 

Tel Aviv has consistently claimed that Yemen’s Houthis are armed and supported by Iran, which is denied by Tehran.

Mr Netanyahu branded the interception an attempt to “sabotage international shipping.”

“If Iran tries to block the Straits of Bab al-Mandab, it will find itself facing an international coalition determined to prevent it from doing so and this coalition will also include the state of Israel and all its arms,” he warned.

Right-wing Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman claimed there had been threats to Israeli ships and warned that the military is prepared “to respond simultaneously on two fronts and also on the Red Sea.”

Saudi-led coalition forces have led a bombing campaign against Houthi forces since March 2015 in support of the ousted Yemeni leader Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. 

Humanitarian organisations have indicated war crimes have been committed with at least 10,000 civilian deaths and the destruction of Yemen’s infrastructure.