Bab al-Mandab Strait crisis

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The Bab al-Mandab Strait crisis is an escalation that began in September 2026 as part of the wider Yemeni offensives tied to the 2026 Iran war, in which Yemen's Houthis launched an offensive to seize control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a global choke point. Houthi fighters seized the historic Red Sea port city of Mokha, pushing further along the Yemeni coast toward the strait, with Houthi troops moving onto the Hanish Islands in the middle of the Red Sea. The Houthis declared a blockade targeting Saudi Arabian shipping and announced the strait closed to specific vessels, driving global oil prices above $100 a barrel. As of mid-September 2026, Houthi forces captured Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline, Perim Island, and the Hanish Islands, giving them strategic control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the narrow sea lane connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. On 5 October 2026, Yemeni media claimed that the PLC recaptured Mokha and resecured access to the Bab al-Mandab Strait, seemingly...

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