Oil shipping through Bab-el-Mendeb resumes: Saudi Arabia

CAIRO – 4 August 2018: Saudi Arabia announced that oil shipping through Bab-el-Mendeb Strait resumed on Saturday after it was halted on July 25 following failed attempts by Iran-backed Houthi militias to target two Saudi oil tankers, Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources Khaled al-Faleh announced.

Faleh stated earlier on Saturday that the coalition is deploying tremendous efforts on behalf of the international community to secure Bab-el-Mendeb and Southern Red Sea guaranteeing trade and oil flow, according to Sky News Arabia.

The minister added that securing such a location is an international and regional responsibility, and that there is a mutual international interest in contributing to such efforts.

The Saudi-led coalition's spokesperson Turki al-Maliki said in a press conference on Friday that the ship that got stuck on reef at Hodeidah port is an indicator that Houthi Militias have failed in running the port. He pointed out that 22 million Yemenis have been in distress since Houthis’ rebellion against Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

The alliance called “Coalition Supporting Legitimacy in Yemen” has been operating in the country for three years against Houthis who have been controlling Hodeidah port, the main conduit for supplies to Yemen.

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened Iran of deploying its military, if it blocks Bab al-Mandeb strait that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.