If the Houthis have also taken control of several key islands in the Red Sea, including Perim – which sits in the middle of the narrowest point of the Bab al-Mandab – then the group’s ability to interfere with international shipping will be greatly enhanced.
As the group’s actions in the wake of Israel’s war on Gaza proved, shipping in the Red Sea is highly vulnerable to Houthi missiles, drones and small attack boats.
“They were able to control what was going in and out of the Bab al-Mandab and up towards Suez without having these territorial gains,” Yemen expert Iona Craig told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Friday.
“But of course now they’re controlling the area immediately overlooking the Bab al-Mandab, and this gives them far more leverage.”
Shipping companies are likely to be sceptical about the sincerity of a statement released on Friday afternoon, in which the Houthi military said that maritime navigation was “safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels, which have already been subject to a blockade”.
In their earlier attacks, the Houthis said they were only targeting vessels linked to Israel, but in fact hit ships with no such connection, including a Norwegian-flagged tanker.
Craig said the Houthis may nevertheless refrain from indiscriminate attacks, fearing a repeat of Operation Rough Rider – six weeks of major US air and naval strikes in the spring of 2025.
“They’ve already felt the wrath of the US,” she said.
But would the US want to get involved anyway?
President Donald Trump’s war with Iran is already unpopular. With oil prices creeping back up, it’s doubtful that a new front would do much to enhance his approval ratings or his Republican party’s chances in November’s midterm US elections.