Ansarullah: Maritime ban on Saudi Arabia payback for ignoring Yemen's demands

The spokesperson for the Yemeni Ansarullah resistance movement says the decision to impose a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia was taken in response to the Riyadh regime’s adamant refusal to take heed of the Yemeni nation's legitimate demands.

“Saudi Arabia was given a lot of time to honor its commitments and make up for the adverse consequences of its brutal aggression against Yemen. Yemenis endured a great deal of suffering in the hope of achieving peaceful solutions away from escalating military tensions. The Saudi regime, however, did nothing, chose the path of obstinacy, frittered away time, and evaded carrying out its obligations,” Mohammed Abdul Salam said in a statement on Monday.

The chief Yemeni negotiator noted that the Riyadh regime, over the past four years and since the April 2022 ceasefire agreement, has depicted its years-long aggression as an internal Yemeni issue.

“The issue has been among the most formidable obstacles to achieving a comprehensive solution,” Abdul Salam stated.

He denounced Saudi Arabia's attempts to deny its leading role in the tight siege on Yemen, describing the recent aggression on Sana'a International Airport and the kingdom's military statement extending the blockade as scandalous.

He said these actions exposed Riyadh as the chief party behind the closure of Sana'a airport and the naval blockade that has prevented commercial vessels from mooring at the strategic port of Hudaydah for years.

“These measures have taken a heavy toll on the Yemeni nation,” Abdul Salam highlighted.

Yemen imposes naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in tit-for-tat move

Yemen has declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, with the country’s military spokesman stressing that it will come into effect immediately.

The Ansarullah spokesperson went on to emphasize that Saudi Arabia is gravely mistaken to assume it can extend the siege indefinitely.

“The deadline given to the Saudi regime has expired, and it must face up to the consequences of any tensions. The ‘siege against siege equation’ is the natural, legal, and moral response to the Saudi regime's obstinacy,” he said.

Abdul Salam concluded that the naval blockade of Saudi Arabia aims to pressure the kingdom into completely lifting the blockade of Yemeni airports and ports, recognizing Yemen's fundamental right to enjoy its sovereign wealth, resolving the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, resuming civil servant payments, and closing the prisoners' case without any delay.

Spokesman for the Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a televised statement on Monday that a ban on Saudi-linked maritime navigation “has entered into force from the moment of issuing this statement.”

Saree warned that any Saudi escalation would be met with what he called a “comprehensive and severe escalation.”

Last week, Ansarullah vehemently censured Saudi Arabia for carrying out an airstrike on the Sana’a airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft from landing.

Yemeni forces launched missiles toward Saudi territory in retaliatory operations.

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