Greater Houthi control could further threaten a critical global trade artery, extending disruption even as Bab el-Mandeb traffic remains far healthier than traffic through Hormuz.

Such an assault would cement Iran-backed rebels' control over one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and give Tehran a foothold in a second vital waterway in the Middle East

DUBAI: A Yemeni minister has warned the country’s Houthi rebels are plotting to seize land along the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, which would allow them to further threaten the vital…