Key facts
- Houthis declared an "equation of blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation" against Saudi Arabia.
- Houthi official Mohamed al-Bukhaiti stated that the group assured the Trump administration it would not strike American ships in the Red Sea.
- Al-Bukhaiti affirmed that only Saudi Arabia was being targeted in the waterway.
- The Houthis vowed to press ahead to end the Saudi campaign and blockade, reopen airports and seaports, recover national resources, and secure compensation.
- The Houthis stated that shipping and international commerce passing through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab faced no threat from Yemen.
Yemen's Houthi rebels have declared an "equation of blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation," vowing that Riyadh will face consequences for restrictions imposed on Yemen. Mahdi al-Mashat, who heads the group's Supreme Political Council, said in a televised address that Yemen was pressing ahead to end the Saudi campaign and the blockade, reopen its airports and seaports, recover national resources, and secure compensation.
Al-Mashat stated that shipping and international commerce passing through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab faced no threat from Yemen, with Saudi vessels being the sole exception.