Yemen council chairman warns of risks to Bab el-Mandeb
In the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, said that protecting Yemen’s coast and restoring state control over the territory, ports and territorial waters are a common interest of Yemen, Egypt, Arab states and the international community. He made the remarks at a meeting with Egypt’s ambassador to Yemen, Ihab Abu Saree, who was concluding his diplomatic mission.
Security of Bab el-Mandeb
According to Anadolu Agency, al-Alimi accused the Houthis of escalation, particularly on the western coast of Taiz province. He also claimed that Iran, through the Houthi movement, seeks to give the group the ability to influence the situation in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea.
According to the council chairman, any attempt to change the military situation near Bab el-Mandeb cannot be regarded as a purely internal matter for Yemen. He called the strait an important international maritime route and said that a threat to it would directly affect the Red Sea, the Suez Canal and global trade.
Al-Alimi thanked Egypt for its support for the Yemeni government. He also expressed hope for Cairo’s continued involvement in supporting Yemen’s state institutions, mobilizing Arab and international efforts to implement UN Security Council resolutions, and preventing the transfer of weapons, technology and military expertise to the Houthis.
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Houthi statements and the situation on the coast
For his part, Abdel Aziz bin Habtour, a member of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council, told the Houthi-controlled Saba agency that international shipping would remain safe. He described the events on the western coast as a matter of Yemeni sovereignty and claimed that Yemen’s exercise of sovereignty over its land, coast and territorial waters poses no threat to navigation.
Local media reported that the Houthis entered the Hays and Al-Khawkhah districts in the south of Al-Hudaydah province after government and allied forces withdrew from positions in the area. There were also reports of the group advancing toward the strategic city of Mocha near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Anadolu Agency said it was unable to independently verify these reports.
In response, Yemen’s government forces announced the creation of a command center south of Mocha, near the strait. According to the agency, military escalation between government forces and the Houthis resumed in early July after years of relative calm following the truce in April 2022.
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