Yemen's Houthi movement denied that it had closed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to all shipping, saying its naval action was limited to vessels associated with Saudi Arabia. Spokesperson Mohammed Abdusalam said reports of a general closure were inaccurate and linked the selective blockade to what the group called a Saudi siege of Houthi-held areas.
The distinction mattered because Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. A total closure would affect a much wider range of commercial traffic. The Houthi statement instead asserted that non-Saudi shipping could continue, although the recent attacks still raised security risks for vessels in the waterway.
The group had claimed strikes on several Saudi oil tankers during the preceding days. Saudi state reporting described another attack on July 24 that caused minor damage to a ship's hull. The supplied evidence did not identify the vessel or independently assess how the Houthis determined whether a target was Saudi-linked.
A Saudi-led coalition responded with airstrikes in Yemen's Hodeida governorate. The coalition said it hit military sites connected to threats against commercial navigation and denied striking the port itself. It also said ports in the governorate remained open. Houthi-aligned Al-Masirah television reported attacks on telecommunications facilities and Kamaran Island.
Those competing accounts left the precise targets and damage contested. They agreed, however, that Saudi-led forces had resumed operations around Hodeida as the maritime confrontation intensified. The exchange linked fighting inside Yemen to the security of a major international shipping route.
The Houthis control much of northern and western Yemen, including Sanaa and a long section of Red Sea coastline. Iran supports the movement, which the United States, Canada and several other governments designate as a terrorist organisation. Its ability to threaten shipping gives it leverage beyond the territory it administers.
The July escalation unfolded alongside a separate struggle involving the United States and Iran around the Strait of Hormuz. Pressure at both chokepoints increased concern about trade and energy flows around the Arabian Peninsula. The conflicts were distinct, but Houthi alignment with Iran and its declared action against Saudi Arabia tied them into a wider regional confrontation.
The evidence supported the movement's public position that it was not seeking a universal shutdown of Bab el-Mandeb. That assurance did not eliminate the danger created by selective attacks, uncertain targeting rules and retaliatory strikes on Yemen, all of which could deter or reroute commercial shipping.
For ship operators, a declared exemption can be difficult to rely on when ownership, cargo and commercial ties are complex. The supplied reports did not explain how the Houthis classified vessels. That uncertainty could affect insurers and crews even if the movement continued to deny a blanket closure.
