🇾🇪⚔️🇸🇦 Houthi rebels are preparing to shut the Bab el-Mandeb strait on behalf of Iran.

A source told The Telegraph of a deliberate Iranian attempt to control “the other side of the Red Sea” and create a scenario similar to its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

Bab el-Mandeb is on the west side of the Arabian Peninsula from Hormuz, and forms a choke point between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

The Houthi rebel group, Tehran’s most capable regional proxy, is laying the groundwork to close the strait, quietly extending its reach to the Horn of Africa, according to sources in Yemen.

The Houthis, in Yemen on the north-eastern coast of the strait, will work with al-Shabab, the Somali militant group, to control both sides of the waterway.

The aim is to inflict more pain on the global economy and increase pressure on Donald Trump.

The source said: “There are a lot of indicators showing co-ordination between the Houthis and al-Shabab. This co-ordination is aimed at totally controlling and blocking the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb when Iran decides in the future.

“The Houthis are transferring drone technology to al-Shabab on behalf of Iran, so the Houthis are becoming the leaders of the region.”

For now, the Houthis are holding back. The source said: “It is not a smart idea for Iran to use all its cards at the same time at the beginning.”

The Houthis have been taking lessons from Iran on how to withstand the kind of decapitation strikes that killed much of Tehran’s leadership in the war, and are naming multiple successors for every senior post and readying for a prolonged fight.

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the group’s leader, has designated a family member to replace him if he is killed, part of a system of “shadow leaders”.

🔗 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/07/15/houthis-plot-to-open-new-front-in-iran-war/