Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, announced on Monday that its forces were imposing a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, a move that came a week after the Saudis bombed the Sanaa International Airport in Yemen.
Ansar Allah military spokesman Yahya Saree said the blockade was a response to the long-standing Saudi blockade on Yemeni ports and seaports, which was eased under a 2022 ceasefire deal but was never fully lifted.
The Saudi strikes on the Sanaa airport were done to enforce the blockade and prevent a plane from landing that was carrying a Yemeni delegation that visited Iran for the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“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 upon the issuance of this statement,” Saree said, according to Yemen’s SABA news agency. “We affirm the right of our great people to respond to the blockade with a blockade, and to respond to all escalation with all escalation, thus solidifying this equation.”
Saree added that the “Yemeni Armed Forces affirm their complete readiness for all options, and any foolish act committed by the reckless Saudi enemy through all escalation will be met with a comprehensive and decisive escalation, by God’s will and power.”
The blockade is expected to significantly exacerbate the global economic fallout caused by the US-Israeli war against Iran, and could have a significant impact on Saudi Arabia’s oil exports as it has grown more reliant on its Red Sea coast amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Saudi strikes on Sanaa airport appear to have reignited the war after four years of a ceasefire that has held relatively well. In the immediate aftermath, Ansar Allah fired missiles and drones into Saudi Arabia, targeting the Abha International Airport, and both sides appear to be preparing for further escalation.
Saree said he was calling on Yemenis to “continue the general mobilization and general call to arms, and to be fully prepared for all scenarios and developments, and to support the fronts with fighters.”
President Trump backed the Saudi strikes on the Sanaa airport, giving Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman several days before the attacks were launched, according to a report from Axios. Middle East Eye reported that Saudi Arabia is considering further attacks and likely has US support.
The US and Ansar Allah have been in a state of ceasefire since May 2025, when President Trump gave up on a bombing campaign that was an attempt to end the Yemeni blockade on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, which was imposed in response to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.