File image. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Katherine Walters)
The Saudi-led coalition said on July 20 it would respond “firmly and forcefully” to recent threats by the Houthis (Ansar Allah), in its first official reaction after the Yemeni group announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.
In a statement, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said the coalition had begun measures to protect its vessels transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait, adding that any Houthi threats would be met “firmly and forcefully.” He said the threats violate international law and constitute an act of maritime piracy.
The coalition spokesman said the measures were in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, aimed at protecting coalition vessels in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. He also dismissed claims that Yemen’s ports and airports had been closed as “misleading,” noting that more than 300 commercial ships entered the Houthi-controlled ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras Isa during the first half of this year, carrying food, fuel and construction materials.
Separately, the chairman of Yemen’s internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, said “the time has come to end the suffering caused by the terrorist Houthi militia.”
In a televised statement, he called on Yemenis from all sections of society to rally behind the state, support the armed forces and security services in their efforts to restore state institutions, and bring an end to the Houthi takeover.
Al-Alimi said the current stage required “unity and confidence in the state,” adding: “There is no future for Yemen under armed groups, no security under a coup, and no peace with a project built on permanent war.”
He said the past several years had shown that the tragedy facing Yemenis was not inevitable, but was instead the direct result of the Houthi takeover and the use of civilian suffering to serve the “agenda of the Iranian regime” and draw Yemen into its regional conflicts.
Al-Alimi renewed his call for residents of provinces under Houthi control to rally behind the state and the republic, describing it as the only guarantee of security, stability and the future all Yemenis deserve.
A day earlier, the Houthis announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia in response to the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen. Since then, the group has begun warning vessels.
In an email to shipowners, the group made clear that its blockade would not be limited to Saudi vessels, but would apply to all ships coming to and from Saudi ports, according to Bloomberg. No attacks have been reported yet, but observers say one could come soon.
The blockade on Saudi Arabia could, in effect, close Bab al-Mandab. The strait — a narrow 20-nautical-mile chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula — funnels an estimated 10 percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade and vital container shipping between Asia and Europe, making it one of the planet’s most strategically vital, and volatile, maritime corridors.
The coalition’s latest warning and al-Alimi’s speech signal that the kingdom and its allies are prepared to resume the war if the Houthis attempt to enforce the blockade by force.
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hahahaha…now the saudi’s begin to really sweat. no u.s. power can save them and they are cowards, so the outcome is already known. if they are stupid enough to again attack yemen, they will get what they are looking for and will wish they didn’t find. kicking a hornets nest is never really a good idea, you’d think they would know better. the last time they kicked this nest, they cried and begged for an end. what if ansar allah don’t quit? uhoh.
saudi cowards r telling the hothis have bought suffering for yemenis . and what this saudi did to palesinte . supported zionist to massacre plaestine and yemenis . this cowards cant do nothing just barking . they think israel will support them .
captcha error, administration shit.
isn’t sf censorship wonderful?
derrubem a monarquia ditatorial saudita abaixo mbs e se arrogant relações exteriores faisal sejam decapitados esses terroristas dessa monarquia podre e terrorista dos al saud
quem você pensa que é na fila do pão arábia saudita nazista? país desgraçado, sejam decapitados os membros da tua monarquia terrorista