The Red Sea has become crucial for oil shipments from Saudi Arabia during the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf. It comes a week after the most significant escalation in the largely dormant conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia since an informal truce took effect in 2022. The Houthis said they had launched missiles at Abha airport in south-western Saudi Arabia in response to air strikes on Sanaa's airport that they blamed on the kingdom. He then announced that the group had decided to respond by declaring a "maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of 'an eye for an eye'". "Any foolish act committed by the reckless Saudi enemy through all escalation will be met with a comprehensive and decisive escalation," he added.