A statement issued by military spokesman Yahya Saree noted that the maritime blockade was imposed on Saudi Arabia under the principle of "a blockade for a blockade." The Houthis also threatened to respond to any escalation with counter-escalation. "The armed forces are prepared for all possibilities, and any act of folly by the Saudi enemy through comprehensive escalation will be met with a full-scale and severe response," the statement read. The Houthis subsequently called for continued general mobilization into the organization and urged full readiness for all scenarios.
Meanwhile, Arab media outlets reported heightened alert levels along Yemen's active combat fronts. The war in Yemen has been ongoing since 2014, though a fragile truce has largely held in recent years.
Two military sources in the legitimate, Saudi-backed Yemeni government told the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that reinforcements were dispatched to frontlines in Marib, Al-Bayda, and Al-Jawf provinces. Reports also indicated that military authorities are closely monitoring Houthi activities within areas under their control in northern and western Yemen.
A source close to the Houthis confirmed that the terror organization dispatched large reinforcements of its own to Al-Bayda province, which borders the Marib region. According to the source, reinforcements were also sent to other areas, including Hodeidah. The source added that senior Houthi officials recently met with local tribes in controlled territories to demand fighter recruitment. Furthermore, the Houthis threatened local tribal chiefs, warning them against cooperating with tribal resistance movements gaining ground in northern Yemen.
