Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdusalam said they are not blocking traffic flowing through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, but only restricting Saudi ships. "There's no closure of Bab al-Mandab as some are suggesting. [Closure is] limited to maritime blockade that only affects Saudi side," he added. This comes after Houthis warned Saudi oil-tankers bound for India and China to take a U-turn.