DOHA, July 21. /TASS/. The naval blockade of Saudi Arabia announced by the Houthis of Yemen’s rebel Ansar Allah movement threatens the country’s energy infrastructure and key alternative routes for Saudi oil exports, Ahmed Nagi, a senior analyst on Yemen at International Crisis Group, a Washington-based think-tank, told TASS.

"As disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz increased, Riyadh relied increasingly on the East-West pipeline running to [the port of] Yanbu and the Red Sea," the expert said.

If shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is disrupted Saudi Arabia would face increased security costs and reduced flexibility in export shipments, he added.

Nagi also pointed out that a simultaneous blockade of the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz would have consequences extending far beyond the country. "It would have a negative impact on global energy supplies and international trade as a whole," he said.

On July 20, the Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, accusing the kingdom of years of plundering Yemen’s national wealth, referring to the country’s oil resources. On July 21, the Riyadh-led Arab coalition said it had begun taking measures to protect commercial vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Coalition Spokesman Turki al-Maliki stressed that any threat to shipping would be met decisively and forcefully, describing the rebels’ actions as maritime piracy.