Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, marking the biggest escalation between the two sides in years.

The move came a week after forces loyal to Yemen’s Saudi-backed government bombed Sanaa International Airport in an attempt to prevent an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation from returning from Tehran from landing.

In a statement on Monday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree condemned what he called an “unjust and oppressive siege” of the country.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces declare a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of ‘an eye for an eye,’ effective immediately,” Saree said in a video posted on X.

The spokesman warned that “any foolish act” by Saudi Arabia “will be met with a comprehensive and decisive escalation.”

The Saudi Foreign Ministry condemned “the Houthi terrorist militia” and vowed to “take all necessary measures to protect its ships in accordance with international law.”

The Houthis, a Shiite movement, seized Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, during the country’s civil war in 2014. A year later, Saudi Arabia led a military intervention on behalf of the internationally recognized government. The bombing campaign, condemned by the UN and human rights organizations, worsened Yemen’s humanitarian crisis and displaced millions of people.

The Houthis responded to the Saudi-led campaign by launching missiles and drones at targets in Saudi Arabia, including airports and energy facilities.

After the war in Gaza broke out in 2023, the group began attacking ships in the Red Sea in what it described as an act of solidarity with the Palestinians. Those attacks largely ceased following a US-Houthi ceasefire in May 2025.

The security of the Red Sea, which is linked to the Mediterranean Sea through the Suez Canal and to the Indian Ocean via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is vital to global shipping. The announcement of the blockade comes as the Strait of Hormuz, another key maritime chokepoint, remains closed due to the ongoing US-Iran war. The US launched strikes against Iran for a tenth consecutive night on Tuesday, with both sides signaling that the truce was effectively over.