Yemen/Anadolu

The coalition supporting legitimacy in Yemen, led by Saudi Arabia, vowed Monday evening to respond 'with all firmness and force' to Houthi threats against coalition ships transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, announcing the start of implementing measures to protect its ships.

This came in a statement by coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki, published on the American platform 'X', hours after the Houthi group announced a ban on maritime navigation for Saudi Arabia.

Al-Maliki said that the coalition's joint forces command has begun implementing measures to protect coalition ships in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, stressing that Houthi threats to maritime navigation represent 'a clear violation of international law' and fall under 'acts of maritime piracy' and will be responded to 'with all firmness and force'.

He added that the coalition is taking all necessary operational measures to protect its naval ships, in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Al-Maliki said that 'claims about the closure of Yemeni ports and airports come in the context of fallacies and Houthi escalation against the Yemeni government and neighboring countries.'

He noted the entry of more than 300 commercial ships into the ports of Hodeidah, Salif, and Ras Isa, under Houthi control, during the first half of 2026, loaded with foodstuffs, goods, fuel, and construction materials.

He also accused the Houthis of causing the closure of Sanaa International Airport and destroying Yemenia Airways aircraft, and rejecting initiatives aimed at resuming flights to and from the airport.

The Houthi group's announcement of a ban on maritime navigation for Saudi Arabia was met with condemnation from the Yemeni government and parliament, as well as the United Nations.

Despite intermittent clashes, Yemen has witnessed since April 2022 a de-escalation in a war that began more than 11 years ago between government forces supported by a coalition led by neighboring Saudi Arabia, and the Iran-backed Houthi group, which has controlled provinces and cities including Sanaa since September 21, 2014.

On July 13 of this month, the Yemeni Defense Ministry announced that its forces targeted the runway of Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing, while the Houthi group accused Saudi Arabia of launching the attack and considered it to mean the end of de-escalation.

In recent days, clashes have renewed between government forces and Houthis in several provinces, including Al-Jawf, Al-Dhale, and Taiz, amid mutual threats between the two sides, in a country facing one of the worst humanitarian and economic crises in the world.