Saudi-led coalition pledges to protect vessels in Bab al-Mandab Strait amid Houthi maritime ban on Saudi shipping.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen announced it would take firm measures to safeguard vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait after the Houthis declared a maritime ban on Saudi shipping, reports China Daily.
Coalition spokesman Turki Al-Malki stated that the Joint Forces Command was implementing decisive operational steps under international law to protect commercial traffic. He dismissed the Houthi declaration as fallacies and an escalation, noting that more than 300 ships had entered Houthi-controlled ports in the first half of the year, carrying food and fuel.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry also rejected the Houthi claims of a blockade, asserting that the kingdom had sought to alleviate the suffering of Yemenis through development projects and budget support.
The Houthis claimed that the ban was a 'blockade for blockade' response to what they described as a Saudi siege lasting nearly 12 years. This announcement followed a strike by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government on Sanaa International Airport, aimed at blocking an Iranian aircraft carrying a senior Houthi delegation.
In retaliation, the Houthis launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi territory. Yemen has been embroiled in conflict since late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa, prompting coalition intervention in 2015. The latest escalation has raised fears that the fragile de-escalation since a 2022 UN truce could collapse.