Yemen: All land, sea, and air borders closed Nov. 6

Event

On Monday morning, November 6, the Saud-led coalition announced a temporary closure of all land borders, sea ports, and airports in Yemen. This decision comes two days after a ballistic missile was intercepted in the Saudi capital Riyadh, resulting in an explosion at King Khalid International Airport (RUH). The Saudi-led coalition blamed Houthi rebels for launching the missile at the airport, and accused Iran of supporting them. The closures are reportedly aimed to curb the flow of arms from Iran to the rebels.

The coalition announced that the closures would take humanitarian and aid work into account. Additionally, on Sunday, an Islamic State (IS)-claimed attack killed at least 17 people in Aden.

Context

Yemen has been engaged in a complex and deadly conflict since Houthi rebels started fighting the international coalition-backed government in 2015. In total, approximately 10,000 Yemenis have died in the fighting and over 3 million have been displaced. The war has also sparked a cholera outbreak, which has affected over 755,000 people to date.

The southern region of Saudi Arabia is a frequent target of Houthi attacks and cross-border incidents are common. Missiles fired from inside Yemen often land on Saudi soil or are intercepted by Saudi air defense systems and Houthi rebels often cross into Saudi territory to target Saudi soldiers.

Advice

Individuals are advised to defer all travel to Yemen until further notice. The security environment throughout the country remains complex. Due to poor security conditions, many Western governments strongly advise their citizens against all travel to Yemen. Travel to the country should only be considered with proper security protocols in place. Professional security advice and support should be sought prior to travel.