Yemen’s Houthis: 16 Saudi ships returned since the blockade – Shafaq News
2026-07-30T20:57:37+00:00
Shafaq News- Sanaa
Yemen’s Houthis group (Ansarallah) has forced 16 vessels to
turn back since announcing the “maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia on July 20,”
the group’s leader Abdul Malik Al-Houthi stated on Thursday, warning of further
escalation.
In a televised address, Al-Houthi said the group’s actions
had disrupted shipping linked to Saudi Arabia, adding, “All indications
suggest that Saudi Arabia is moving toward broader escalation, and we will
respond in kind.”
Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the claim that
16 vessels had been turned back. Riyadh has previously rejected the group’s
accusations that it is imposing a blockade on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen
and has described the declared maritime blockade as a threat to international
navigation.
The Saudi-led coalition has also vowed measures to protect
vessels transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, saying it would respond to Houthi
threats “with firmness and strength.”
Separately, Saudi Arabia announced, together with 13 other
countries, the establishment of a multinational maritime defense alliance to
protect freedom of navigation, international trade routes, and energy supplies
in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.