Archival photo of coalition forces spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki Credit: FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

(CNN)-- The Saudi-led "Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen" announced on Monday that its forces "are taking and implementing all decisive and strict operational measures in accordance with international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 1982 to protect our naval vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait."

Coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement on platform "X" (formerly Twitter) that "the Houthi claims regarding the closure of Yemeni ports and airports come in the context of Houthi fallacies and escalation against the Yemeni government and neighboring countries, and that the Houthi narrative about the siege is misleading, as more than 300 commercial ships entered the ports of Hodeidah, al-Salif, and Ras Isa during the first half of 2026, carrying various foodstuffs, goods, fuel, and construction materials."

He stated that "the Houthi militia caused the closure of Sanaa International Airport and the destruction of Yemenia airline planes, and also rejected all initiatives to resume flights to and from the airport."

Al-Maliki confirmed that "the coalition leadership has begun implementing measures to protect coalition ships through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and will respond to Houthi threats to transiting vessels with all decisiveness and force, considering these threats a clear violation of international law and constituting acts of maritime piracy."

The Iran-backed Houthi group had announced on Monday the imposition of a "maritime navigation ban" on Saudi Arabia, attributing it to what it described as a "comprehensive Saudi blockade of ports and airports by land, sea, and air."

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree issued a statement announcing "the ban on maritime navigation for the Saudi enemy... according to the equation of blockade for blockade, and it will come into effect from the moment of this statement's announcement."

The statement continued that the group, which controls the capital Sanaa and accused Saudi Arabia of "targeting its airport" last week, "has the right to confront comprehensive escalation with comprehensive escalation and to establish this equation," adding that its forces "are fully prepared for all options."

The Ministry of Defense of the internationally recognized Yemeni government appeared to claim responsibility for the strikes, after indicating that "its patience has run out, and that it will confront hostile aircraft that violate Yemeni airspace and deal with them."

The Yemeni government accused Iran of "sending an air flight to the Houthis carrying military and security personnel, as well as Iranian experts in the field of drone and missile systems development."