Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, marking the biggest escalation between the two sides in years.
The move came a week after forces loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed government bombed Sana’a International Airport in an attempt to prevent an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation returning from Tehran from landing.
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In a statement on Monday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree condemned what he called an unjust and oppressive siege of the country.
The Yemeni Armed Forces declare a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of ‘an eye for an eye,’ effective immediately, Saree said in a video posted on X.
The spokesman warned that any foolish act” by Saudi Arabia “will be met with a comprehensive and decisive escalation.
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The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned “the Houthi terrorist militia” and vowed to “take all necessary measures to protect its ships in accordance with international law.”
The Houthis, a Shiite movement, seized Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, during the country’s civil war in 2014. A year later, Saudi Arabia led a military intervention on behalf of the internationally recognized government.
While the Saudi-led bombing campaign was unable to dislodge the Houthis, it was condemned by the UN and human rights organizations, worsened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and displaced millions of people.
Yemen responded to the bombing by launching missiles and drones at targets in Saudi Arabia, including airports and energy facilities.
After the war in Gaza broke out in 2023, the group began attacking ships in the Red Sea in what it described as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians. Those attacks largely ceased following a US-Houthi ceasefire in May 2025.
The security of the Red Sea, which is linked to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal and to the Indian Ocean via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is vital to global shipping.
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The announcement of the blockade comes as the Strait of Hormuz, another key maritime choke-point, remains closed due to the ongoing US-Iran war.
US launched strikes against Iran for a tenth consecutive night on Tuesday, with both sides signaling that the truce was effectively over.
RT. com / ABC Flash Point News 2026.
Saudi Arabia is backing the wrong horse and will pay a heavy price as the Houthis are quite capable of sending KSA to the poor house by destroying its oil infrastructure and desalination plants. It will be back to camel transportation and date farming for the KSA royal family.
Saudi leaders must be a special kind of stupid to launch an attack on a group that has already demonstrated the ability to shut down Saudi Arabia’s last and only outlet for its oil to reach world markets.