Sanaa denies Bab al-Mandab closure, says maritime ban targets Saudi Arabia only
SANAA, July 24 (YPA) – The Yemeni authorities in Sanaa has resolved the ongoing debate regarding reports of a blockade on the Bab al-Mandab strait, categorically denying such claims and emphasizing that circulating rumors do not reflect the official stance of the Yemeni government.
In a post on the social media platform “X,” Mohammed Abdulsalam, head of the national negotiating delegation, wrote: “There is no closure of Bab al-Mandab, as is being claimed by some.”
لا إغلاق لباب المندب كما يروج البعض وموقف اليمن المعلن من قبل القوات المسلحة اليمنية يقتصر على حظر بحري يطال الجانب السعودي فقط ردا على حصاره اليمن ورفضه القبول بأي مقاربة منصفة للحل تضمن أمن وسيادة واستقلال الشعب اليمني .
— محمد عبدالسلام (@abdusalamsalah) July 24, 2026
He further clarified that the official position of Yemen, as articulated by the Yemeni Armed Forces, is strictly limited to a maritime ban on Saudi Arabia. This measure is a direct response to the ongoing siege on Yemen and the refusal to accept any equitable solution that guarantees the security, sovereignty, and independence of the Yemeni people.
In the past hours, Abdulsalam also rejected Saudi claims denying responsibility for the blockade on Yemen, saying the facts on the ground point to Riyadh’s direct role in the destruction of Sanaa International Airport and the continued restrictions that have kept air travel severely limited.
“The Saudi regime began its aggression against Yemen by targeting Sanaa International Airport on March 26, 2015, destroying several aircraft and most of the airport’s facilities within the first hours of the aggression,” he wrote on X.
He further stated that “the subsequent Israeli enemy targeting of Sanaa airport followed the Saudi approach—targeting civilian infrastructure and attempting to present those crimes as achievements.”
@E.Y.M