After the Houthi movement announced that it would launch a naval blockade against Saudi ships in the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait and said it planned to impose fees on cargo ships passing through the strait, Saudi Arabia has taken action.
The Saudi Ministry of Defense says that, together with 13 other countries - including Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait and Somalia - it will “protect freedom of navigation, international trade routes and common interests in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.”
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with several important shipping lanes.
