Houthis vow 'revenge' on Saudi Arabia for Yemen blockade

A Houthi leader had vowed retaliation against Saudi Arabia on Monday after the kingdom announced de-escalation measures in Yemen.

The fiery comments by Saleh al-Sammad, the head of the Presidency Council of the Houthis, came during a rally of thousands of rebel supporters marching down a main boulevard in the capital, Sanaa.

Al-Sammad said that with the blockade, the coalition "shut down all doors for peace and dialogue." The more the blockade tightens, he said, the more the Houthis will develop their abilities to "respond to the assault of the enemy."

After two years of a devastating war, the Houthis still control much of Yemen's north while the south falls under the embattled President of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi, whose government is recognized by the international community and who is supported by the Saudi-led coalition.

Saudi Arabia announced it shut down all ports after a Houthi ballistic missile attack near Riyadh's international airport.

The missile was intercepted but Saudi Arabia and the United States both accused Iran of supplying the missile, saying it bore "Iranian markings." The Houthis have denied that.

On Monday Riyadh announced that it would be re-opening the airports and seaports in the Arab world’s poorest country following international pressure.

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened in neighbouring Yemen in March 2015 to push back the rebels who control the capital Sanaa, in an attempt to restore the government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to power.

But the military intervention, which has triggered widespread criticism from the international community, has left more than 10,000 people, most of which civilians, dead.