DID Press: Yemen’s Houthi-controlled authorities in Sanaa have warned that any Saudi vessel attempting to pass through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait will be targeted, while saying surveillance of Saudi ships that deliberately disable their tracking systems has been intensified.
Sanaa issued the warning on Thursday, saying any vessel Saudi Arabia attempts to send through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait would be sunk.
The threat came after Yemeni forces said they had increased monitoring of Saudi vessels that intentionally switch off their identification and tracking systems.Meanwhile, local sources along Yemen’s western coast reported hearing naval clashes and explosions near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The reports said the incidents were linked to warning operations by Sanaa-aligned forces against vessels that had disabled their identification systems.In a related development, Hizam al-Asad, a member of the political bureau of Ansar Allah, challenged Saudi Arabia and its new naval coalition.
In a post on X, he said the movement would continue its blockade until its “legitimate rights” were achieved.Sanaa’s Foreign Ministry had previously warned that any military presence in the Red Sea would create instability and threaten maritime security.
The developments come as Sanaa and several areas under Houthi control witnessed large public rallies. Participants expressed support for measures imposed on Saudi shipping and, in a final statement, endorsed the movement’s leadership in taking what it described as necessary military measures to pressure Riyadh to lift its air and sea blockade of Yemen.
Mohammed Abdulsalam, head of Sanaa’s negotiating delegation, praised the large turnout at the rallies, saying it demonstrated Yemenis’ “serious determination to continue the battle until achieving their legitimate rights.” He also said the “blockade for blockade” equation remained in place.