Houthis Say Red Sea Operations Will Continue Until Saudi Blockade Ends
A Houthi spokesperson says military operations in the Red Sea will continue until Saudi Arabia lifts its blockade, adding that only Saudi-linked shipping is targeted.
A spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Monday that the group's military operations will continue until Saudi Arabia ends its blockade on the country, and that its attacks on shipping in the Red Sea will be directed only at Saudi-linked vessels.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said the rebels possess the missile and aerial capabilities to shut the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea to maritime navigation, and that they do not need to control the strait to do so.
He described the group's operations as a response to the Saudi-led coalition's blockade of Houthi-held areas, a measure tied to Yemen's decade-old civil war. "Our operations are ongoing, and they are rooted in the principle of countering blockade with blockade and aggression with aggression," he said, adding that ending the war lies in Saudi Arabia's hands.
Al-Bukhaiti said the Houthis target only maritime shipping belonging to Saudi Arabia, in retaliation for what he described as Saudi efforts to stop traffic to and from Yemeni ports. He also said the group strikes areas deep inside Saudi Arabia in response to any violation of Yemen's sovereignty or Saudi airstrikes on Yemen.
On the diplomatic front, he said there is no direct contact between the Houthi administration in Sana'a and the United States, but that the group is not opposed in principle to exchanging messages indirectly through Oman. He said such indirect communication has taken place before.
Regarding Yemen's internal conflict, al-Bukhaiti said the Houthis have no intention of expanding ground operations or seeking a military resolution, citing the country's diversity. He said all Yemeni factions should come to the negotiating table to build a political process.
The renewed fighting has raised concerns for civilians and for shipping through the Red Sea, a route that has grown more important because of disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz since the United States launched a war against Iran. Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in the opening days of the conflict, and Saudi Arabia has since used the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for crude oil exports.
The escalation follows the Houthis' seizure of the strategic Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in the southern Red Sea, which strengthens their ability to control a key maritime route. The group also recently captured the Red Sea port of Mokha and a strategic island, moves that add pressure on Saudi shipments and, in turn, on global oil supplies and prices.