Pro-Iran Houthi rebels from Yemen launched an attack that threatens maritime traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's busiest passages. Fighting intensifies in Yemen, with hundreds dead in attacks and reprisals between Houthi insurgents and Saudi Arabia.
The strait, whose Arabic name means "Gate of Tears," separates Yemen, on the Arabian Peninsula, from the Horn of Africa. It is approximately 100 kilometers long and 30 kilometers wide, extending between the city of Ras Menheli, on the Yemeni coast, and Ras Siyyan, in Djibouti. These two capes mark the border between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The passage is crucial for Saudi Arabia since the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, connecting Europe to Asia through the Suez Canal. Oil tankers and merchant ships from Asia cross the strait to reach the Red Sea and, from there, the Suez Canal, representing a vital strategic route for the world oil sector.
