Published July 20, 2026
Houthi leaders in Yemen have announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, which will take effect immediately.
Monday’s announcement came days after the group, officially known as Ansar Allah, threatened a “siege” of the kingdom in retaliation for an attack on Sanaa’s international airport last week.
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The action marks a new stage in the long war between the Iran-backed Houthis and the Saudi-led coalition that has supported Yemen’s internationally recognized government since 2015.
It also comes as gunfire continues between the United States and Iran amid an escalating standoff over the Strait of Hormuz that has once again rocked the global energy market.
Here’s what you should know:
What did the Houthis say?
In a statement, the Houthis said the maritime embargo was “based on the principle of tit-for-tat” and affirms “the right of our great people to respond with blockade to blockade” and to “any escalation with escalation.”
The group, which seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014, accused Saudi leaders of maintaining an “unjust and oppressive siege” for nearly 12 years, “plundering our resources and imposing a comprehensive blockade of our ports and airports by land, sea and air.”
Houthi security forces stand guard in Yemen’s capital Sanaa as Houthi supporters rally against Saudi-led restrictions on Houthi-controlled areas that the group calls a blockade, July 17, 2026 (Khaled Abdullah/Reuters)
The Houthis also expressed “full readiness for all options” and warned that “any foolish” move by Saudi Arabia would be met with a “comprehensive and decisive” response.
“We call on the people of our great nation to continue their general mobilization and general call to arms, to be fully prepared for all scenarios and developments and to support the fronts with fighters.”
What led to this?
The statement came days after the Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the attack on Sanaa airport, even though Yemen’s internationally recognized government claimed responsibility, saying it was aimed at preventing an Iranian plane from landing in the capital.
In response to the attack, the Houthis fired ballistic missiles at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition said it successfully intercepted the salvo.
It followed fighting between the Houthis and government forces in Hodeida that threatened four years of fragile calm since a temporary truce was signed.
What is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait?
It was not immediately clear how the Houthis would implement the naval blockade or whether it could signal renewed attacks on international shipping off Yemen’s coast.
The Houthis disrupted global trade when they began attacking ships in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait following the launch of Israeli attacks on Gaza in 2023. The attacks ended with the announcement of a “truce” in Gaza last October.
The Bab el-Mandeb crossing point, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, is one of the world’s most important shipping routes, including for oil exports around the world.
Between Yemen in the northeast and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa in the southwest, the strait is just 29 km (18 miles) wide at its narrowest point, restricting the two channels to traffic in and out of ships using the Suez Canal.
In 2024, about 4.1 billion barrels of crude oil and petroleum products passed through the strait—about five percent of the world’s total.
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran in late February, closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could also block 25 percent of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
What does this mean for Saudi Arabia?
The announcement is likely to further complicate Saudi Arabia’s crucial oil exports.
Following the US-Israeli war with Iran and the subsequent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the kingdom began to look for alternative export routes.
The solution was the East-West Pipeline, or Petroline. Originally built in the 1980s, the 1,201 km (746 miles) pipeline runs from the eastern Abqaiq oil field across the country to the western Red Sea port city of Yanbu. The pipeline carries about seven million barrels of oil per day.
From there, oil tankers carry oil through Bab el-Mandeb to major Asian markets and elsewhere.
Vessel tracking data from Kpler and Signal Ocean showed shipments from Yanbu had averaged four million barrels per day in recent weeks, down from about 973,000 bpd a year earlier, according to Reuters data.
Total oil volumes transiting Bab el-Mandeb in June were 7.4 million barrels per day, or about 7 percent of global oil production, according to Kpler. That’s up from 4.2 million barrels per day last year.