AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Israel’s Channel 12 also warned that control of Bab al-Mandab by Yemeni forces could pose a threat potentially more dangerous than the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
The right-wing Israeli Channel 14 called the Houthi control of Bab al-Mandab as a major regional strategic achievement, arguing that the group’s growing capabilities have been supported by Iran. The Israeli channel also warned that the development could have consequences extending well beyond the Middle East.
Israeli Channel 12, meanwhile, quoted an Israeli official as saying that Houthi control of the narrow maritime passage could pose a threat potentially more serious than the situation surrounding the Strait of Hormuz. The official pointed to the geography of Bab al-Mandab, arguing that its narrow waters could allow Yemeni forces to monitor and target shipping with relatively limited equipment.
The reports said Houthi forces had consolidated their position on Mayyun Island, located at the center of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, while also advancing toward the coastal town of Dhabab. The developments were presented by Israeli media as part of a broader strategic challenge to maritime routes linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Bab al-Mandab is one of the world's most strategically important maritime chokepoints. Ships traveling between the Red Sea and the Suez Canal must pass through the area, making the security of the strait crucial for international trade as well as for Israel's maritime access to markets in Asia and the Indian Ocean.
The strategic importance of the waterway has been demonstrated before. During the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, the passage of ships bound for Israel through the Red Sea was disrupted after forces aligned with Egypt moved to close the Bab al-Mandab route.
More recently, the importance of the strait became evident during the Gaza war, when Yemen's Houthi movement launched missile and drone attacks against Israel and vessels it considered linked to Israel. The campaign disrupted commercial shipping through the Red Sea and sharply affected traffic to the Israeli port of Eilat.
Israeli concerns have consequently extended beyond Yemen itself to the wider Red Sea and Horn of Africa region. According to the report, Israel has sought to strengthen its presence and security relationships in areas overlooking the Bab al-Mandab Strait, including Somaliland.
The issue has also raised questions about the possibility of an Israeli military facility in Somaliland. The report cited a March 2026 investigation by Middle East Eye saying Israel had considered establishing a base there as part of efforts to counter the Houthi movement.
For Yemen's Houthi leadership, the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab goes beyond control of a maritime passage. The strait offers the group leverage over one of the world's busiest commercial corridors and gives Yemen a position from which it can potentially influence regional security calculations stretching from the Red Sea to the wider Indian Ocean.
The reported developments therefore mark a potentially important new chapter in the struggle over the Red Sea's strategic waterways. For Israel and its allies, the prospect of a stronger Houthi presence around Bab al-Mandab raises concerns about the security of maritime trade and Israel's access to Asian markets. For the Houthis, meanwhile, control of the area would represent a significant expansion of their strategic influence far beyond Yemen's immediate borders.
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