Houthi followers take part in the parade to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the group's seizure of the capital Sanaa at Al Sabeen Square in Sanaa, Yemen
The renewed Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping are raising a much bigger question for the global economy. One of how far will the conflict spread into one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints as talks continue to stall?
This answer matters because the Bab el-Mandeb Strait is not simply another stretch of water. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, forming the southern gateway to the Suez Canal. Any sustained disruption there can force ships travelling between Asia and Europe to take a much longer route around Africa, adding days to journeys and significant costs to global supply chains.
That risk is becoming increasingly tangible, as Houthi attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and renewed threats against shipping have already pushed maritime traffic lower. Today, the 11 of August, a cargo vessel was attacked in the Bab el-Mandeb, with three crew members reportedly killed, demonstrating that the threat to commercial shipping is once again moving beyond rhetoric and into direct attacks on vessels.
