Houthis Announce Naval Blockade on Saudi Arabia

The Iran-aligned Houthis have declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia. The blockade serves as retaliation against Saudi Arabia's long-standing siege on Yemen, which has lasted nearly 12 years. The Houthis also criticized the kingdom for plundering resources and breaking a recent truce by bombing an airport.

In a significant escalation of tensions, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement has declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, effective immediately. The announcement was made by their military spokesperson in a televised speech on Monday.

The Houthis labeled this move a 'maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy,' declaring it as an 'eye for an eye' response to Saudi Arabia's decade-long siege, which they claim has plundered Yemen’s resources and imposed an oppressive blockade on their people’s land, sea, and air routes.

This development comes after the Houthis launched missiles at Saudi Arabia last week, in response to accusations of the kingdom bombing an airport under their control. The missile strikes marked the first by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia since a truce was informally agreed upon in March 2022.