Houthis Set Conditions for Saudi Arabia to Lift Blockade

The Houthi movement in Yemen has outlined three conditions for Saudi Arabia to lift its blockade on the country. The first condition is that Saudi Arabia must respond to the blockade with a blockade of its own, targeting Saudi military deployments wherever they are located. The second condition is that Saudi Arabia must defend Yemen's sovereignty against any incursions.

The Houthis have claimed that no Saudi vessel can pass through affected waterways and have targeted eight Saudi oil tankers since announcing a ban on maritime traffic to and from the Kingdom on July 20. Five of the vessels were targeted in the Red Sea, while three came under attack in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

The group also reported preventing 48 Saudi oil tankers from crossing regional waters. Thirty-four were stopped in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean, while 14 were prevented from passing through the Red Sea. The Houthis detailed nine military operations targeting Yanbu, Najran, Jizan, Abha, and oil supplies in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, describing them as retaliation for Saudi strikes on Sanaa airport.