SANAA/RIYADH – Yemen's Houthi group said Saturday that international shipping through the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait remained near normal even as intense ground fighting raged along its shores.

In a statement released through Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the group said 73 international vessels, including container ships and other commercial vessels, crossed the strait over the previous 48 hours.

It said 36 vessels transited the waterway on Thursday and 37 on Friday, equivalent to 98.6 percent of the average daily traffic recorded before the Houthis imposed a ban on Saudi vessels on July 20.

The group noted that international navigation remained "free, safe and smooth," while stressing that Saudi vessels remained excluded.

ALSO READ: Houthis seize Yemen's entire western coast after taking Bab al-Mandab Strait area

Houthi forces on Friday consolidated control over Yemen's western coast and key areas around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, following their capture of the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha a day earlier.

Bab al-Mandab connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and serves as a critical gateway for trade and energy shipments between Asia and Europe.

Yemen's conflict began in late 2014 when the Houthis seized Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized government.

2 injured after projectile falls in Saudi Arabia's Jazan

Meanwhile, Saudi Civil Defense said on Saturday that two individuals were injured when a projectile launched by Yemen's Houthi group fell in Al-Tuwal governorate in the Jazan region.

The Civil Defense said its teams responded to the incident, which also caused material damage to a mosque, several buildings and vehicles.

It stressed that targeting civilian sites is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, adding that the Civil Defense followed the required procedures for such incidents.

Houthis say Saudi warplanes launch 129 strikes across Yemen in 48 hours

Tensions between the Houthi group and Saudi Arabia continued to escalate, with the Houthis saying on Saturday that Saudi warplanes had launched 129 airstrikes across seven Yemeni provinces over the previous 48 hours.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement on social media platform X that the strikes hit the southwestern province of Taiz, the oil-rich northeastern province of Marib, the Red Sea province of Hodeidah, and the northern provinces of Al-Jawf, Saada, Amran and Hajjah.

READ MORE: Yemen's Houthis say 'no threat' to Red Sea navigation after taking key port city

Sarea said F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets launched the strikes after taking off from southwestern Saudi military bases in Khamis Mushait and Taif.

He warned that the strikes "will not go unanswered and unpunished."

Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the Houthi statement.