Also known as
Bab al-Mandab, Bab al-Mandab Strait, Bab al-Mandeb, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Bab el Mandeb, Bab el-Mandeb, Bab-al-Mandeb, Tisza, Tisza Party
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a maritime chokepoint between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Known as a critical global trade corridor through which a significant share of world shipping transits, and historically a key leverage point in regional geopolitics. Recently, Houthi forces have conducted repeated missile strikes on commercial vessels and threatened closure of the strait, prompting multilateral military coordination to protect navigation. Last updated 6 days ago
Four crew members were killed in a Houthi missile strike on the small Deck Cargo Ship Tihamah (IMO 1031329) near the Bab-al-Mandeb strait. The missile struck the ship's bridge, indicating the attack was intentional.
Yemen's Transport Ministry, run by the Houthis' opponents, confirms the Yemeni merchant ship Tihama was struck by a Houthi ballistic missile in the Bab al-Mandab area. Four crew members were killed by the impact -- three Pakistanis and one Indonesian. During efforts to rescue the remaining crew still aboard, the Houthis launched a second missile at the ship to prevent the rescue.
In the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a Saudi commercial ship was reportedly struck by a missile. Three crew members were killed, including two Pakistani nationals and one Indonesian.
Kuwait's Chief of Staff met in Saudi Arabia with the Defence Coalition for preserving freedom of navigation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to the state news agency.
Army chiefs from countries in the Maritime Defense Coalition met in Saudi Arabia today to maintain freedom of navigation in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, as Riyadh seeks to build an international coalition to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks.
Participating nations: Maldives, Morocco, Bangladesh, U.S., Yemen, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Kuwait, Jordan and New Zealand.
Reuters: Red Sea shipping continued to decline after Houthi attacks on Saudi Red Sea oil facilities.
Only 11 commodity vessels transited the Bab el Mandeb on Sunday, the lowest daily total in months, as the attacks further disrupted one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
The Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese channel al-Mayadeen, citing an exclusive source, reports that the Houthis have struck 3 Saudi oil tankers over the last 48 hours. 16 Saudi vessels have been forced to turn back, and per the source, no Saudi ship has passed through the Bab al-Mandab strait so far.
The Houthis deny closing the Bab al-Mandab strait, saying their naval blockade targets Saudi Arabia alone. Yemeni negotiating chief Al-Salmi called it a "maritime siege" of Saudi Arabia.
Missiles and drones have been positioned by the Houthis near Bab el-Mandeb, with preparations complete to strike shipping at the Red Sea's southern approach, CNBC reports.
If the Houthis decide to close the Bab al Mandeb Strait, a wild scenario would be Saudi Arabia and Israel working together, alongside the U.S., to reopen it.
THE TELEGRAPH: The Houthis are preparing to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key global shipping route.
A closure would force ships to reroute around Africa, mirroring Iran's approach to the Strait of Hormuz. The group has not acted yet, reportedly waiting for the right moment as part of a broader Iranian pressure campaign against the US and its allies.
JUST IN: After disrupting shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is now signaling it could use Yemen’s Houthis to threaten the Bab el Mandeb, opening another front against the U.S. and putting 2 of the world’s most important maritime energy routes at risk. - Reuters
"The Resistance Axis has become a threat to global trade. We can shut down Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb straits. We can stop Iran-U.S. negotiations at will."
IRGC Qods Force Commander Esmail Qaani: "Americans should know their place and avoid confronting the Muslims. Trump is trembling. The U.S. should fear not only Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb, but many other locations as well."
Houthis now warn that continued U.S. strikes on Iran could trigger a wider regional war, disrupt global trade and energy markets, and further destabilize the world economy.
Aka they will try to shut down Bab el-Mandeb strait. (10% of global trade passes there)
IRGC Quds Force commander Gen. Qaani: "From the Strait of Hormuz to Bab el-Mandeb, from the Arabian Gulf to the Red Sea, the resistance axis will form a new security belt."
Iran is now openly tying international maritime routes to its regional project.
Tehran says it has sealed off the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb. A source linked to Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf told state media the regime's next move is targeting oil and energy infrastructure in U.S.-allied Gulf states, framing it as retaliation for the Israeli strike on Mahshahr's petrochemical complex.
Tehran is gearing up for a rapid, high-volume war, prepared to fire hundreds of missiles daily at Gulf energy infrastructure, refineries, and ports. The Houthis may also move to shut down the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of Iran's regime-affiliated Kayhan newspaper, calls for closing the Bab al-Mandab strait to American and allied ships:
"Closing the Bab al-Mandab strait to enemy countries and receiving payment for the passage of non-hostile ships may significantly change the economic and security equations in the world."
He added that rerouting through South Africa would add 3,000–3,500 nautical miles and $1–2 million per vessel per day.
