Between hope and fear: Yemenis react to Houthi blockade on Saudi Arabia

Sanaa, Yemen – Ammar Saleh, a 32-year-old schoolteacher in Sanaa, watched on Monday as the Houthi military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia.Then, on Wednesday, the Houthis declared they had attacked two Saudi ships – a declaration that they were serious in their intention to impose a maritime embargo on their northern neighbour. The Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of conducting its own blockade on rebel-controlled areas of Yemen, therefore justifying the Houthi attacks.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Saudi Arabia slams Houthi blockade: How will rest of the world be impacted?list 2 of 4Pro-government militia seizes boat with ‘Houthi weapons materials’ in Yemenlist 3 of 4How serious is Iran’s threat to disrupt shipping in the Red Sea?list 4 of 4US launches new strikes as Iran warns of regional turmoilend of listWhatever the arguments, the news has come as a jolt to Yemenis like Ammar, many of whom now believe that a four-year period of relative quiet in the country’s more than decade-long war is about to end.Ammar believes that Sanaa and other Houthi-controlled Yemeni provinces could once again become a battlefield and could be hit with ...