Attempts by Yemen's Houthi rebels from the Ansar Allah movement to impose a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia could provoke a forceful military response from Riyadh and lead to the resumption of full-scale hostilities, International Crisis Group Senior Yemen Analyst Ahmed Nagi told TASS. "The threat is serious, but it does not mean Saudi Arabia will back down. The Houthis simply declared ‘a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia' without explaining how they would implement it," he said. On July 20, the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, accusing the kingdom of years of "plundering Yemen's national wealth," referring to the country's oil resources. Coalition Spokesman Turki al-Maliki stressed that any threat to shipping would be met "decisively and forcefully," describing the rebels' actions as maritime piracy.