Newspaper: Houthis plan to expand Red Sea blockade of Saudi Arabia

The Houthi-controlled authorities in Yemen are reportedly planning to intensify military pressure on Saudi Arabia, including by expanding a maritime blockade in the Red Sea, according to the Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar, which cited a military source familiar with the situation.

The source said the Houthis intend to broaden the blockade to cover all foreign vessels cooperating with Saudi Arabia. They also reportedly plan to carry out a series of “military operations” aimed at undermining the Saudi economy and completely halting oil shipments from the Red Sea port of Yanbu.

The source further said that oil-loading terminals had been added to the Houthis’ list of potential targets. The source warned that oil-export routes using large tankers from Yanbu would be blocked until Riyadh “meets Yemen’s legitimate demands.”

By Tamilla Hasanova