The Houthis issued a threat to the United States from the Bab al-Mandab strait and described themselves as a single body with Iran, according to Sky News Arabia. The report was published on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.
The Bab al-Mandab, the narrow waterway at the southern end of the Red Sea, has drawn wider attention in Arabic-language commentary. Arabia published a piece asking how Egypt and Saudi Arabia would respond as danger approaches the Suez Canal, while Okaz described Bab al-Mandab as Iran's "nuclear bomb." Asharq Al-Awsat framed the strait as a test of the Saudi-Iranian reconciliation.
Separately, a Houthi leader demanded the surrender of Marib or warned of destruction and the devastation of war, according to Arabi21.
The material available does not include the specific wording of the threat, the identity of the Houthi official who made it, or any response from Washington or Tehran. It also does not specify what action, if any, the Houthis said they would take.
What to watch next is whether the United States, Iran, or the Saudi and Egyptian governments respond publicly to the Houthi statement, and whether the warning is followed by any change in activity around Bab al-Mandab or the Suez Canal.
