Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb choke point, tightening grip on Red Sea
The Houthis have captured Yemen’s Red Sea coast including Mocha and Mayyun, moving to within about 20 km of Africa and effectively controlling Bab al-Mandeb, a chokepoint through which roughly 12% of global trade flows (including significant oil and LNG). The crisis prompts regional fallout: over 2,000 Yemenis have fled to Djibouti, shipping is rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope with higher costs, piracy risks rise off the Horn of Africa, and Egypt’s Suez Canal revenues have fallen, while Eritrea gains strategic influence and Iran remains a regional actor in navigation security.