Houthi blockade of Bab al-Mandeb slashes traffic at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port
Tanker traffic at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port on the Red Sea has fallen by more than a third since the Houthi armed group in Yemen announced a blockade of Saudi ships throughout the Bab al-Mandeb Strait last month.
Lloyd’s List, a UK-based shipping intelligence firm, says Saudi Arabia is coping with the blockade by rerouting crude exports by using shuttle tankers, Egypt’s SUMED pipeline and the Sidi Kerir port on Egypt’s Mediterranean Sea coast.
But the “patchwork system” ties up more vessels and adds weeks to travel times for cargo destined for Asia, it adds.
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Yemeni authorities claim Houthi naval mine found in Bab al-Mandeb Strait
Yemeni authorities are claiming that a naval mine planted by the Houthi group has been discovered in a vital area of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
A naval unit affiliated with the government-aligned National Resistance Forces “managed to eliminate the danger of a naval mine” planted by the Houthis, the official Saba news agency quoted an unnamed military source as saying.
The mine was found in a “vital area of the international shipping lane” before naval forces disabled it and took the necessary measures to eliminate the threat, the source added.
The source described the mine’s presence as “a dangerous development in Houthi threats to the security of navigation” in one of the world’s most important maritime passages.
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Houthi Foreign Ministry condemns US sanctions on Hezbollah
The Houthi-run Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs says new US sanctions on Hezbollah constitute active participation in Israeli crimes.
“When the Israeli enemy is unable to achieve a military victory, the Americans step in to complete the role,” the Houthis said, the Houthi-controlled Yemen News Agency (SABA) reported.
In the statement, the ministry called US measures adopted this week that designated Hezbollah a proxy group of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps illegal and a violation of international law.
The statement also appeared to issue a warning to the wider Lebanese government: “The authorities in Lebanon must study history carefully, for standing with the enemy will inevitably lead to loss.”
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