Houthis Declare Naval Blockade of Saudi Arabia in Response to Strike on Sanaa Airport

Yemen's Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebel movement has announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia. The announcement was made on the X platform by Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree, who said the measure would take effect immediately.

«We declare a naval embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy on an "eye for an eye" basis, effective immediately upon the publication of this statement,» the Houthi statement reads.

The rebels, who control the territory of the former North Yemen, say the move is a response to a strike on the airport in the capital, Sanaa, carried out last week, as well as to what they describe as an ongoing Saudi blockade of Yemeni ports and airports.

According to Al Jazeera, a rebel spokesman said the blockade of Sanaa airport is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated, adding that the movement's armed forces are fully prepared for any turn of events and for "reckless actions" by Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia backs the Yemeni government, which the Houthis have been fighting for years. The long-running civil war in the country was eased by a UN-brokered truce reached in 2022.

The Houthis have previously attacked ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden — notably in connection with Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, seeking to back their ally, the Palestinian movement Hamas, the Jerusalem Post notes.

The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are a vital shipping route for Saudi oil exports, which is especially critical now, as another key route, the Strait of Hormuz, has seen a sharp drop in traffic amid tensions between Iran and the United States.

Source: novinky.cz