A Houthi representative boasted Saturday that the Iran-led axis now holds both strategic straits, warning Israel and Saudi Arabia will be unable to control them. The claim follows earlier Houthi boasts of capturing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait reported by The Zioneer.
On Saturday, a Houthi representative escalated the group's maritime threats, claiming that the Iran-led axis now jointly controls both the Bab el-Mandeb and Strait of Hormuz, key chokepoints for global energy and Israeli trade. "Today the keys to Hormuz are in the hands of the brothers in Iran, and the keys to Bab el-Mandeb are in the hands of the brothers in the Yemeni armed forces," the statement read, vowing that neither Israel nor Saudi Arabia will be able to control the straits. The claim extends the Houthi narrative that began unfolding on Friday.
The earlier Houthi claims, first reported by The Zioneer on Friday Sep 11 at 15:31 Jerusalem, evolved through the day: initial reports from Houthi-aligned channels celebrated the capture of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait without a fight (version 1 at 15:31), followed by claims of capturing Dhu Bab island and seized military equipment (version 3), then the seizure of key coastal towns and islands near the strait (version 4), and finally a comprehensive claim, supported by the website Gplanet, that the Houthis had achieved full control of the Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea (versions 2 and 5). Throughout Friday, The Zioneer noted that these claims had not been independently confirmed and were sourced primarily from a single channel post.
The Strait of Hormuz has featured prominently in the broader Iran-Israel confrontation. As The Zioneer reported on July 8, Iranian state media threatened to re-close the waterway if attacked, following Israeli strikes on Iranian military infrastructure in June. The Houthis, an Iran-backed proxy, have escalated their maritime campaign in recent months, seizing coastal positions in Yemen and threatening Red Sea navigation, as detailed in The Zioneer's Bab el-Mandeb topic page (updated September 10). The Iranian regime has long used the strait as a lever of geopolitical pressure.
It remains unverified whether the Houthis have established effective physical control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait or coordinated with Iran on the Strait of Hormuz. The latest statements appear designed to signal strategic coordination within the Iran-led 'Axis of Resistance,' but no independent evidence of joint operational control has emerged.
5 developments
- StrongHouthi capture of Bab el-Mandeb coast could enable full strait blockade, The Zioneer assesses
- StrongHouthis seize Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, tightening grip on Bab el-Mandeb approaches
- DevelopingRiyadh-backed Yemeni government declares control over Bab el-Mandeb Strait
- DevelopingHouthi official threatens to close Bab el-Mandeb, says Iran will shut Hormuz if US pushes Saudi war
Source and signal
- Open-source intake