Houthis Announce Blockade On Saudi Shipping, Threaten Drone & Missile Attacks On Kingdom

Yemen's Houthi rebels have announced they are imposing a new maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia in response for a recent attack on Sanaa Airport, and after years of the kingdom leading a blockade of Houthi-controlled Yemeni ports.

A military statement by Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said the maritime ban on all Saudi shipping will be effective immediately in what he declared as an "equation of 'an eye for an eye.'"

However, details of what this 'embargo' will look like, in terms of where or what chokepoints the Houthis might seek to blockade were not given.

Last week the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen attacked the Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport, threatening a fragile truce that has been in place since 2022. Saudi jets had prevented an Iranian passenger plane from landing there, after the US-Saudi recognized Yemeni government warned against any Iranian planes entering the divided country's airspace.

Within days of that incident, the Houthis reportedly sent missiles on Saudi Arabia - which was a first after years of relative peace. In addition to unveiling the anti-Saudi embargo, the Houthis spokesman warned that if the Saudi siege on Yemen is not lifted, then Houthi armed forces will move towards a full-scale war.

Saree declared, "if Saudi Arabia turns to all-out aggression against Yemen, all of Saudi Arabia's energy facilities and its vital facilities will be targets for missiles and drones."

He described that the blockade of Sanaa airport "is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated" - following the Iran airline incident. Saree vowed to retaliate "to the blockade with a blockade and to respond to all escalation with escalation."

July 13: Yemen's internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government says its forces targeted Sanaa Airport, under Houthi control, to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing there...

ایرانی طیارے کی لینڈنگ روکنے کے لیے یمنی حکومت کی صنعا ہوائی اڈے پر بمباری

یمن کی بین الاقوامی طور پر تسلیم شدہ حکومت کا کہنا ہے کہ اس کی فورسز نے حوثیوں کے زیرِ کنٹرول صنعا ایئرپورٹ کو نشانہ بنایا تاکہ ایک ایرانی طیارے کو وہاں لینڈ کرنے سے روکا جا سکے۔#Yemen #Iran… pic.twitter.com/N8kugrBrn1

— Independent Urdu (@indyurdu) July 13, 2026

"The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm their complete readiness for all options and any foolish act committed by the reckless Saudi enemy," the statement continued.

"We call upon the people of our great nation to continue the general mobilization and general call to arms, and to be fully prepared for all scenarios and developments, and to support the fronts with fighters."

The "internationally recognized" Yemeni government has long been propped up by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the US, after a lengthy half-decade long UAE/Saudi/US coalition air war failed to dislodge Houthi power. The pro-Saudi government operates out of Aden in southern Yemen, after the country's president fled there a decade ago.

Earlier this month there had been an initial attempted Saudi warplane intercept of an Iranian civilian airliner, which was reportedly carrying Yemenis who had been stranded in Iran back to their home country.

BREAKING: Houthis of Yemen announce a a "maritime embargo" against Saudi Arabia, "effective immediately."

Saudi Arabia has until now exported ~4.5m b/d from Yanbu in the Red Sea, most of it heading South throughout the Bab al-Mandab Strait between Yemen and Djibouti-Eritrea pic.twitter.com/c96Apzh9As

— Javier Blas (@JavierBlas) July 20, 2026

The Houthis at the time of the prior incident said it was "breaking the Saudi-American siege on our people and expelling the occupiers."

As we featured previously, since 2015 Saudi Arabia has imposed a blockade on Yemen's land, sea, and air ports, severely restricting vital commercial and humanitarian imports, including fuel and food.