Houthi fighters are now just 20 miles from the main U.S. military base on the African continent.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have pushed south along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, capturing key territory and closing in on a U.S. military installation in Djibouti. The base sits across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serves as a critical shipping corridor between Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Djibouti also hosts military forces from China, France, and Japan.
The Houthis recently seized the port city of Mokha and Mayun Island, also called Perim, which sits directly inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Control of territory near the strait could give the group greater leverage to threaten commercial and military shipping passing through the region.
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As originally reported, the Houthis have also declared a blockade targeting Saudi shipping and oil infrastructure, though they say they have no plans to interfere with commercial vessels from other nations. Shipping companies and oil traders are not convinced, citing the group’s track record of attacking vessels in the Red Sea.
Fighting flared again on Sunday when the Houthis claimed drone and missile strikes against Saudi targets, including a military base near the Yemeni border. Air-raid sirens sounded in the southern Saudi city of Abha and the Khamis Mushait area, alerting residents to potential incoming strikes.
Saudi civil defense officials reported that a projectile hit the Jazan region near the Red Sea, injuring two people and damaging a mosque, homes, and other buildings. Saudi authorities attributed the attack to the Houthis.
The broader strategic stakes are rising fast. The Bab el-Mandeb has become even more critical following recent disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia had been routing crude oil through its roughly 745-mile East-West pipeline to move exports from Persian Gulf fields to the Red Sea coast, bypassing Hormuz entirely. That workaround is now compromised as well.
Saudi Arabia shut down the East-West pipeline last week after drone strikes caused damage to the line. Saudi officials said the drones originated in Iraq. Baghdad launched an investigation after confirming the attacks were launched from Iraqi soil.
The combination of pressure on both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb puts two of the world’s most vital energy export routes under simultaneous threat. With Houthi forces continuing to advance and attacks on Saudi infrastructure mounting, President Trump may face a significant decision on U.S. policy toward Yemen within days.
