Houthi forces seize control of vital Bab al-Mandab strait
Yemeni Houthi fighters have taken control of the Bab al-Mandab strait, a key chokepoint for global maritime trade.
Yemeni Houthi fighters have seized the Bab al-Mandab strait, a strategic waterway through which a substantial portion of global commerce passes. The Houthi movement, calling itself Ansar Allah, originates from the Zaydi minority in northern Yemen and currently controls roughly 30% of the country's territory while exerting authority over more than two-thirds of its people. Their ascent accelerated after the Arab Spring, leading to the removal of President Ali Abdulah Saleh, the rise of Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, and the capture of Sana’a, turning the conflict into a Saudi-Iran proxy war.
Recent Houthi actions include damaging an oil pipeline that bypasses the Hormuz Strait, intensifying U.S.-Iran tensions. The takeover of Bab al-Mandab adds a new flashpoint that could disrupt international shipping lanes and oil flows, complicating the broader regional power struggle.
How this story developed
- Sep 10 Yemen's multi-front war intensifies as Houthis and government forces vie for strategic strongholds
- Sep 14 The displacement figure has risen to nearly 86,000.
- Sep 15 Houthi forces reported seizing the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands.
- Sep 15 Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi in Cairo to discuss Red Sea navigation and retaliation against the Houthis.
- Sep 16 Saudi civil defense issued emergency shelter warnings for Jeddah, Mecca and Taif.
- Sep 16 Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a drone aimed at Mecca and accused Iran-backed Houthi rebels of the plot, which the rebels denied.
- Sep 16 Saudi coalition announced a drone it said was Houthi‑linked was heading toward Mecca and triggered a brief security alert.
- Sep 16 Houthis seized coastal towns and islands at the mouth of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.
- Sep 18 Since the earlier report of 86,000 displaced, the UN now says over 112,000 have been forced from their homes.
- Sep 19 Washington met Houthi envoys in Oman and secured assurances that American vessels would not be targeted.
- Sep 19 The Saudi Directorate of Civil Defence said the danger has passed in Riyadh and al‑Kharj and urged residents to continue following its instructions and avoid gathering or filming.
- Sep 19 The Houthis announced new missile and drone strikes on Riyadh and Yanbu.
- Sep 19 Saudi officials confirmed that Yemen's Houthi forces attempted a ballistic missile strike on Riyadh, which was intercepted, and also failed to hit targets in Yanbu, Taif, Baysh and Farasan.
- Sep 22 The United States declined to conduct direct kinetic strikes against the Houthis.
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