Houthis vow to spare foreign ships after seizing key Red Sea chokepoint

The Yemeni group says only Saudi-linked vessels will be targeted in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have vowed not to target countries other than Saudi Arabia after their forces captured strategic positions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an important shipping chokepoint at the entrance to the Red Sea.

The Houthis, an Iran-backed Shiite group, declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia earlier this year, accusing the kingdom of imposing an illegal “siege” on the territories under their control.

“We confirmed that we are not targeting the United States, or any other nation, in the strait, with the sole exception of the Saudi enemy,” Houthi political spokesman Mohamed al-Bukhaiti told AP in an interview published on Sunday.

“The goal of our military operations is not to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but rather to ensure freedom of navigation through it for everyone, including Yemen,” he added.

Al-Bukhaiti confirmed indirect contacts with the US through Oman. According to earlier media reports, Saudi Arabia had asked President Donald Trump to intervene militarily, but the US has so far limited its cooperation to intelligence sharing and targeting assistance.

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The Houthis seized the port of Mokha and strategic Perim Island, which sits in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, earlier this month, inflicting heavy casualties on Saudi-backed government forces. The rebels have also fired drones and missiles at Saudi cities, including the kingdom’s capital, Riyadh.

The escalation comes as the Strait of Hormuz, the other major maritime chokepoint linking the Middle East with global markets, remains effectively closed to most commercial shipping amid the US-Iran conflict.

Saudi Arabia first launched a military intervention on behalf of Yemen’s internationally recognized government in 2015, following the fall of the capital, Sanaa, to the Houthis the previous year.

Large-scale fighting in Yemen largely subsided following a UN-brokered truce in 2022 but erupted again after September 8 strikes on Sanaa airport aimed at preventing an Iranian plane carrying a Houthi delegation from Tehran from landing. The Houthis blamed Saudi Arabia for the attacks, which the kingdom attributed to Yemeni government forces.

The US State Department issued security alerts across the Middle East on Saturday night, warning of a potential escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, as well as possible attacks on American diplomatic facilities. According to CNN, Trump was briefed on potential strike options in Yemen but has not authorized military action.

The Houthis reached a separate ceasefire with the US in May 2025, under which Washington halted its air campaign in Yemen and the group agreed to stop targeting US vessels in the Red Sea.