Houthis vow to spare foreign ships after seizing key Red Sea chokepoint

The Yemeni group says only Saudi-linked vessels will be targeted in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait Yemen’s Houthi rebels have vowed not to target countries other than Saudi Arabia after their forces captured strategic positions around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, an important shipping chokepoint at the entrance to the Red Sea.The Houthis, an Iran-backed Shiite group, declared a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia earlier this year, accusing the kingdom of imposing an illegal “siege” on the territories under their control.“We confirmed that we are not targeting the United States, or any other nation, in the strait, with the sole exception of the Saudi enemy,” Houthi political spokesman Mohamed al-Bukhaiti told AP in an interview published on Sunday.“The goal of our military operations is not to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, but rather to ensure freedom of navigation through it for everyone, including Yemen,” he added.Al-Bukhaiti confirmed indirect contacts with the US through Oman. According to earlier media reports, Saudi Arabia had asked President Donald Trump to intervene militarily, but the US has so far limited its cooperation to intelligence sharing and targeting assistance. The...