Houthis in Yemen announce imposing a 'naval blockade' on Saudi Arabia

Image caption, The Houthis said the blockade came in response to the Saudi blockade of ports and airports in Yemen

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Author, David Gritten

Published 2 minutes ago

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Houthis in Yemen announced a 'naval blockade' on Saudi Arabia, with the military spokesman for the Iran-backed group saying the blockade would begin immediately and was in response to the Saudi blockade imposed on ports and airports in northwestern Yemen under Houthi control.

The spokesman did not provide many details about the blockade, but a Houthi media official said the group would close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which represents the southern entrance to the Red Sea, to Saudi vessels.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities.

The Red Sea has gained vital importance for Saudi oil shipments during the American-Israeli war with Iran, which led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

This comes a week after the most serious escalation in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since an informal truce took effect in 2022.

The Houthis said they fired missiles at Abha Airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia in response to airstrikes that targeted Sanaa Airport and held the kingdom responsible.

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government claimed responsibility for the airstrikes, saying it wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in the capital without permission.

Yemen has been destroyed by a civil war that began in 2014 when the Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa, and the conflict escalated in 2015 after the intervention of a coalition of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia in an attempt to return the government to power.

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Reports indicated that the fighting has killed more than 150,000 people and led to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with more than 22 million people needing some form of assistance, according to the UN.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Monday that Saudi Arabia had imposed 'an unjust and oppressive blockade on our dear people for nearly 12 years, looted our resources, and imposed a comprehensive blockade on our ports and airports by land, sea and air.'

He then announced that the group had decided to respond by declaring a 'naval blockade on the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the principle of an eye for an eye.'

He added: 'Any foolish act by the reckless Saudi enemy through any escalation will be met with a comprehensive and decisive escalation.'

Saree did not provide further information about the blockade, but the deputy head of the Houthi media office, Nasruddin Amer, wrote on platform X that the group's forces 'are closing Bab el-Mandeb to Saudi enemy ships.'

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The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a waterway 32 kilometers (20 miles) wide, lies between southwestern Yemen and the Horn of Africa. It connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea, which in turn connects to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, the Houthis began attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden with missiles, drones, and small boats, saying they were 'moving in support of the Palestinians.'

Four ships were sunk and nine crew members were killed, while commercial navigation through Bab el-Mandeb dropped to its lowest recorded level after shipping companies rerouted their vessels around South Africa.

What is the importance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that Iran threatens to close?

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Although the Houthis stopped their attacks in response to the Gaza ceasefire last October, the number of ships transiting the strait has not yet returned to previous levels, according to IMF data.

In response to the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia diverted more than 70 percent of its crude oil exports to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea.

About four million barrels per day were shipped from the port in recent weeks, compared to about 973,000 barrels per day a year earlier, according to data from companies Kepler and Signal Ocean.

Total quantities of petroleum products transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait also rose to 7.4 million barrels per day in June, equivalent to about 7 percent of global production.

Mohammed al-Basha, from the US risk consultancy Basha Report, said it was not yet clear whether the Houthis would begin targeting ships bound for Saudi Arabia.

He told Reuters: 'Even if no ships are attacked, the announcement alone is likely to disrupt shipping traffic and create uncertainty about Saudi ports. The crucial question remains whether the Houthis will move from threats to direct action.'

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