LONDON: Yemen’s pro-Iranian Houthi rebels have claimed attacks in the Red Sea on two Saudi oil tankers and say they will blockade the Bab El-Mandeb strait, a crucial passage into the Red Sea, as part of a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia.
Gateway to the Red Sea
Known as the “Gate of Tears” in Arabic, the Bab El-Mandeb strait sits at the southern tip of the Red Sea, connecting it with the Gulf of Aden in the Indian Ocean.
About 100 kilometers (62 miles) long and 30 kilometers (18 miles) wide at its narrowest, it separates Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula from Djibouti and Eritrea on the Horn of Africa.
Strategic trade route
