Ansar Allah announced that Yemen will begin preventing Saudi ships from transiting the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Riyadh has relied on its Red Sea ports to export oil following Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. 

On Monday, the Yemeni Armed Forces said it was imposing the blockade in response to Saudi’s blockade of Yemen and the recent strikes on Sanaa airport. Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia bombed the airport in Yemen’s capital city. 

At the time, Yemeni Armed Forces Brigadier General Yahya Saree stated that “the Saudi aggression will not go unpunished.” He continued, “The Saudi enemy has ended the de-escalation phase, and must bear responsibility for all potential consequences.”

In 2014, Ansar Allah seized the capital city and took control over most populated regions in Yemen. Initially, the US worked with Ansar Allah to target Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. However, Saudi Arabia viewed Ansar Allah’s control of Yemen as problematic. Riyadh formed a government-in-exile, which it attempted to install in power with a mass bombing campaign, a blockade, and by backing militias opposed to Ansar Allah. 

The Barack Obama administration elected to support Saudi’s war to alleviate Riyadh’s concerns over the Iran Nuclear Deal. The war killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused a cholera epidemic, and the blockade resulted in widespread malnutrition among children. 

During the war, Ansar Allah developed missile and drone capabilities that were able to cause significant damage to Saudi Arabia’s energy infrastructure. While Riyadh and Sanaa agreed to a ceasefire in 2022,  they have not reached an agreement to end the war. During the truce with Saudi Arabia, Ansar Allah has fought multiple wars with Israel and the US. 

While Ansar Allah is considered an ally of Tehran, Yemen has largely remained on the sidelines of the US and Israeli war against Iran. However, Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz has given Ansar  Allah more leverage as Saudi’s Red Sea ports are exporting significantly more oil.