Saree’s remarks come after a fiery exchange between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen last week. [Getty]
Yemen’s Houthi movement have announced they are imposing a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in response to a recent attack on Sanaa Airport.
Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the Houthis, said in a video statement on Monday that the maritime ban against Saudi Arabia will be effective immediately in what he described as an “equation of ‘an eye for an eye.'”
The statement did not clarify exactly what a maritime embargo would consist of.
Saree said the continued blockade of Yemen’s Sanaa airport “is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated”.
Saree vowed to retaliate “to the blockade with a blockade and to respond to all escalation with escalation”.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm their complete readiness for all options and any foolish act committed by the reckless Saudi enemy,” said Saree. “We call upon the people of our great nation to continue the general mobilisation and general call to arms, and to be fully prepared for all scenarios and developments, and to support the fronts with fighters.”
Saree’s remarks come after a fiery exchange between the Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen last week, in which Sanaa International Airport and Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia were struck, threatening a truce that has been in place since 2022.
Saudi Arabia has since condemned the maritime blockade of the kingdom.
In a statement the Gulf monarchy’s foreign ministry said it “expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strongest condemnation of the statements made by the so-called military spokesman of the terrorist Houthi militia… imposing a maritime blockade on the Kingdom,” adding that Riyadh “continues to support the brotherly Yemeni people and their legitimate government”.
The decision by Yemen’s Houthis could put new pressure on Saudi Arabia as it is using its East-West Pipeline to try to get oil out of the kingdom as the Strait of Hormuz remains in Iran’s chokehold.
That pipeline transfers oil to the Red Sea for the kingdom to send further on to its customers.
The threat by the Houthis comes after the movement targeted ships for months in support of Palestine against Israel’s genocide of the Gaza Strip, which saw over 100 vessels attacked.
It remains unclear whether the Houthis will keep up that level of attack now against Saudi Arabia—or if this is a measure to try to pressure the kingdom to concede over local issues, as the Yemen war remains broadly frozen in place.
