Houthi rebels have declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, threatening another critical shipping route for global energy supplies.
According to Al Jazeera, the Houthi blockade will target the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the southern entrance of the Red Sea, which serves as the route for roughly 5% of global gas and oil supplies. With the Strait of Hormuz already effectively closed, disrupting shipping through Bab el-Mandeb could block routes that together handle roughly 25% of the world’s oil and gas.
The blockade is reportedly in response to a recent attack against Yemen's Sana'a airport. Yemen's internationally recognized government — which is backed by Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states — had reportedly bombed the airport's runway to prevent the landing of a plane carrying a Houthi delegation from Iran. Sana'a, the nation's capital, has been under Houthi control for nearly a decade, while Yemen's official government is based along the country's southern coast in Aden.
This comes as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz has grown increasingly chaotic. Although Iranian and American diplomats have signaled a willingness to return to ceasefire negotiations, military strikes have escalated with each passing day. U.S. forces launched their ninth straight night of attacks against Iran on July 19, with Iran retaliating by attacking the U.S. Navy's 5th fleet in Kuwait and Bahrain.
