Houthis Declare Naval Blockade On Saudi Arabia’s Shipping At Red Sea Gateway

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Monday announced a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, saying they would block Saudi shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in response to what they described as the kingdom’s long-running blockade of Yemen and a recent attack on Sanaa International Airport.

The announcement has raised concerns about security in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. It also comes as Saudi Arabia uses its East-West Pipeline to export crude oil through the Red Sea as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the maritime ban would take effect immediately, describing it as an “equation of an eye for an eye.” He did not explain how the embargo would be enforced.

Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, said on X that the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would be closed to Saudi shipping in response to what he called Saudi Arabia’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years.”

The Bab el-Mandeb, located at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. About 12% of global trade passes through the waterway, while around a quarter of the world’s container trade moves through the 32-kilometre (20-mile) strait on routes to and from the Suez Canal.

The Houthis have previously disrupted shipping in the area, attacking more than 100 vessels during the Israel-Hamas war. It remains unclear whether the group plans to resume attacks on that scale against Saudi-linked shipping.

Saudi Arabia had not immediately responded to the announcement.

Saudi Arabia has been using its East-West Pipeline to transport millions of barrels of crude oil a day to the Red Sea after Iran imposed restrictions in the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.

Texas-based Rystad Energy said about 2.5 million barrels of oil per day could be at risk if shipping through the Red Sea is disrupted.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition against the Houthis since imposing an air and sea blockade on Yemen in 2015. Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, forcing the internationally recognised government into exile. A truce was reached in 2022.

Tensions have risen in recent days after the Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa International Airport in an attempt to target a flight carrying Houthi leaders returning from Iran, where they had attended the funeral of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The aircraft landed safely at another airport.

The Houthis later launched missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport in what was described as the most significant confrontation between the two sides in years.

Experts quoted by the Associated Press said the Houthis were seeking to establish greater control over Yemen’s airspace by allowing a direct international flight to land without the approval of the Saudi-led coalition.

Houthi-run Al Masirah TV showed hundreds of supporters gathering in the city of Ibb, south of Sanaa, in support of the embargo. Similar rallies were also held in Saada, Marib, Hajjah and Taiz.

The Houthis are part of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance,” which also includes armed groups in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories.

Several Houthi members previously told the Associated Press that the group’s drone stockpile had been reduced after months of attacks during the Israel-Hamas war. They also said the conflict involving Iran had further slowed the supply of weapons to the group.

The United States and Israel had earlier responded to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping with air strikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen before an agreement led the group to halt its maritime attacks.

Any disruption to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb could force vessels to sail around the Cape of Good Hope off South Africa, increasing voyage times and costs.

The U.S. government has previously said the longer route adds about 2,700 miles (4,345 km) to voyages between Saudi Arabia and the United States.

References: apnews, thehindu