Houthis Take Bab el-Mandeb Strait; Trump Rejects Saudi Strike Request
Houthi forces reportedly completed their takeover of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and seized a Red Sea island as Trump declined a Saudi request for US airstrikes against the group.
Developing story — this page will be updated as information becomes available.
Iran-backed Houthi forces have reportedly completed their takeover of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and seized a Red Sea island, the Times of Israel reported Friday, as the group simultaneously advanced on the Yemeni port city of Mocha. President Trump declined two separate requests from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for direct US military strikes against the Houthis, with US officials confirming no action is planned.
What We Know
Houthi forces have advanced on Mocha, a key port on Yemen’s western coast, and have seized a Red Sea island as part of the push, according to the Times of Israel. The group is also reported to have completed a takeover of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow waterway at the southern end of the Red Sea connecting to the Gulf of Aden and one of the world’s most critical commercial shipping chokepoints.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Trump twice to request US airstrikes against the advancing Houthi forces. Trump rejected both requests. US officials stated that the administration “does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
Separately, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing a Lebanese news outlet, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered to join a broader regional strike effort against the Houthis as part of what the report described as a coalition effort to protect Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb shipping lanes. The Israeli offer has not been independently confirmed.
What We Don’t Know
The full extent of Houthi control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait remains unclear. The Times of Israel used hedged language, describing the takeover as “said to” be complete. No independent confirmation from US military or coalition naval sources has been reported. Casualty figures from the Mocha advance are not yet available. This is a developing situation.
Context
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait sits between Yemen and Djibouti at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. Any sustained Houthi control of the waterway would give Iran-backed forces leverage over commercial shipping at a second major chokepoint, compounding disruption already affecting the Strait of Hormuz, where tanker traffic has fallen sharply during the current escalation cycle. The Houthis have conducted repeated attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea throughout the regional conflict, but seizure of a physical island and reported control of the strait itself would represent a significant territorial escalation beyond missile and drone harassment.
Trump’s refusal to respond militarily leaves Saudi Arabia without a US security guarantee against Houthi expansion on its southern flank. The reported Israeli offer to participate in strikes introduces the possibility of a regional coalition response independent of US involvement, though no such operation has been announced.
What to Watch
- Whether US-allied naval forces move to contest Houthi control of the Bab el-Mandeb despite the White House’s stated reluctance to authorize strikes.
- Global oil and shipping markets Friday as traders weigh potential dual-chokepoint disruption affecting both Hormuz and the Red Sea approach.
- Israel’s next steps: whether Netanyahu’s reported offer results in a formal coalition posture or remains a diplomatic signal.
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