Saudi-led forces block Yemen ports

The Arab coalition naval forces are now in full control of Yemeni sea ports, a spokesman for the Saudi military said on Monday.

Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ahmed Asiri said naval forces are blocking the movement of ships to prevent weapons and fighters from entering or leaving Yemen as he spoke to reporters in the Saudi capital.

The coalition has previously issued a warning to ships not to approach Yemeni ports and declared Yemeni airspace a “restricted area” since it launched airstrikes against Houthi rebels last Thursday.

Asiri also said the coalition’s air power continued to target ballistic missiles controlled by the Houthi movement.

He noted that Houthi artillery attempted to attack coalition warplanes and that the movement’s rebels are hiding between residential areas.

Asiri spoke on the fifth day of air strikes targeting Shiite rebels known as Houthis and allied forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Houthis and their allies seized the capital Sanaa last September and the internationally recognized President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi fled the country last week.

Iran supports the rebels, but both Tehran and the Houthis have denied that it arms them.

[with the Associated Press]