SANAA (Dispatches) – The 
Ansarullah-led Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) announced on Monday the imposition of a complete maritime ban on all Saudi shipping, in response to more than a decade of blockade and war waged against Yemen by the kingdom.
The YAF declared that the “ban on maritime navigation,” based on “the principle of blockade for blockade,” has taken effect “immediately upon the issuance of this statement”. 
The decision comes after Yemen’s military spokesman Yahya Saree said the move was in retaliation for an “unjust and oppressive siege” on the Yemeni people by Saudi Arabia for nearly 12 years.
“We reaffirm the right of our great people to respond to the blockade with a blockade, to escalate comprehensively in response to comprehensive escalation, and to firmly establish this equation,” the Yemeni army said in its statement. 
It went on to say that it is “fully prepared for all options,” adding that “any reckless act undertaken by the foolish Saudi enemy through comprehensive escalation will be met, God willing and by His strength, with a comprehensive and severe escalation”.
The statement urged Yemenis to continue mobilizing against the Saudi-led coalition as part of a new campaign aimed at preparing for a full and final expulsion of Saudi Arabia from the country. “Reinforce the frontlines with fighters,” the YAF told its people.
The announcement comes one week after the most significant escalation in the largely dormant conflict since a 2022 truce took effect. 
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia carried out its first airstrike on Sanaa International Airport in years, prompting serious Yemeni retaliation. 
The Saudi attack was aimed at preventing an Iranian civilian plane from landing at the airport. The aircraft – which was carrying an Ansarullah political delegation returning to Yemen from the funeral of martyred Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Iran – ended up landing in Hudaydah.
The Yemeni Armed Forces subsequently targeted Saudi Arabia’s Abha Airport with missiles and drones, marking the first direct Yemeni strikes against Saudi territory since 2021. 
The Yemeni Foreign Ministry regarded the attack on Sanaa airport as a declaration of war, stating that “the criminal Saudi regime has taken an unprecedented step by striking Sanaa airport, thereby putting an end to the de-escalation and ceasefire phase and declaring the start of war”.
The Ansarullah-led forces have warned that they are fully prepared for an “all-out escalation” and will give a “harsh response to any foolish thing Saudi Arabia does”. 
Ansarullah leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi has previously threatened that the “real equation would be Sanaa airport for Riyadh airport. The equation is airports for airports, ports for ports, and siege for siege,” also warning that Saudi oil facilities could become targets.
The blockade threatens to disrupt one of the world’s most vital maritime chokepoints: the Bab el-Mandeb strait, the 32-kilometer-wide southern gateway to the Red Sea through which approximately 12% of global trade and 30% of the world’s container traffic usually passes.
The timing is particularly significant given the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz since late February. 
Saudi Arabia has responded to the Hormuz closure by diverting more than 70% of its normal crude exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, shipping approximately 4 million barrels per day through the Red Sea route.