Yemen’s Houthi movement has denied that it has shut down the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, stating that its naval operations are strictly limited to a targeted blockade against Saudi Arabia.
– Mohammed Abdul Salam, the chief negotiator and spokesperson for the group, dismissed claims of a full waterway shutdown in a post on X.
– “There is no closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait as some promote,” he wrote.
– “The position of Yemen, as announced by the Yemeni armed forces, is limited to a maritime blockade that only affects the Saudi side, in response to its siege of Yemen and its refusal to accept any fair approach to a solution that guarantees the security, sovereignty and independence of the Yemeni people.”
– The Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, has launched repeated attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since late 2023, which the group has framed as a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
https://aje.news/qknv84?update=4801435