Yemen’s Houthis announce maritime ban on Saudi shipping amid rising tensions

SANAA, July 20 — Yemen’s Houthi group on Monday announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping, marking a significant escalation and raising concerns over security of navigation in the Red Sea and nearby shipping lanes.

In a statement aired by the group’s Al-Masirah television, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the decision took effect immediately following the announcement, without specifying how and where the ban would be enforced.

He said the move, based on what he described as the principle of “blockade for blockade,” was in response to Saudi Arabia’s “siege for nearly 12 years” through a “blockade on ports and airports.”