Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Qatar

Losing access to Bab el-Mandeb would be 'catastrophic,' Qatar warns

The Houthi Red Sea coast offensive has placed another vital shipping route at risk as the Hormuz blockade disrupts trade and energy supplies. Qatar said closing the Red Sea gateway would worsen the crisis and has called for a diplomatic solution.

15 September 2026

Yemen

Houthis seize key island in Bab el-Mandeb, take control of the strait

Houthi fighters reached Perim Island which divides the Bab el-Mandeb into two shipping lanes after government forces withdrew, completing the group's takeover of the strait. Together with Iran's Hormuz blockade, this puts roughly a third of the world's seaborne trade under hostile control.

12 September 2026

Yemen

Houthis blitz Yemen's Red Sea coastline in push to seize Bab el-Mandeb

The Houthis' latest offensive is meant to replicate Iran's Hormuz blockade in the Bab el-Mandeb, with Red Sea coastal towns and islands in the crucial waterway their top military objectives.

10 September 2026

Yemen

Houthis claim strike on Saudi tanker in latest Red Sea escalation

The missile struck a tanker 63 nautical miles west of Yanbu, setting it ablaze, in the latest strike under the Houthis' announced blockade of Saudi Arabia, threatening its ability to export millions of barrels of crude oil per day.

24 August 2026

Yemen

Houthis to copy Iran's Hormuz playbook with Red Sea toll plan

Yemen's information minister said intelligence confirmed IRGC advisers were directly involved in designing a Houthi-enforced toll system for the Bab el-Mandeb, mirroring Iran's contested claim to charge fees in the Strait of Hormuz.

29 July 2026

Yemen

Trump says he is 'close to deciding' on a 'massive attack' on Iran

Earlier in the day, Trump threatened the Houthis with "major military punishment" after the Tehran-backed militant group in Yemen claimed on Thursday that it had struck two Saudi oil tankers transiting the Red Sea.

23 July 2026