Yemen's Houthis announce 'maritime embargo' on Saudi Arabia

Yemen's Houthis announce 'maritime embargo' on Saudi ArabiaImage source, EPAImage caption, The Houthis said the embargo was a response to a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in YemenByDavid GrittenPublished6 minutes agoYemen's Houthis have announced a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia.The Iran-backed group's military spokesman said it would begin immediately and was in retaliation for a Saudi blockade of ports and airports in Houthi-controlled north-western Yemen.He gave few details about the embargo but a Houthi media official said they were closing the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which is the southern gateway to the Red Sea, to Saudi vessels.There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities.The Red Sea has become crucial for oil shipments from Saudi Arabia during the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.Second tanker in three months hijacked off Yemen by suspected Somali piratesPublished3 days agoYemen's Houthis launch missiles at Saudi Arabia after strikes on Sanaa airportPublished6 days agoPotential Houthi threat to Red Sea shipping could further damage global economyPublished28 MarchIt comes a week after the most significant escalation in the largely dormant conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since an informal truce took effect in 2022.The Houthis said they had launched missiles at Abha airport in south-western Saudi Arabia in response to air strikes on Sanaa's airport that they blamed on the kingdom.The strikes were claimed by the Saudi-backed Yemeni government, which said it had wanted to prevent an Iranian plane from landing in the capital without authorisation.Yemen has been devastated by a civil war that began in 2014, when the Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa. The conflict escalated in 2015, after the Saudi-led coalition of Arab states intervened in an attempt to restore the government's rule.The fighting has reported...