Yemen’s Foreign Minister Says Houthis Aim to Mirror Iran at Bab el-Mandeb

Yemen’s foreign minister-designate, Afrah al-Zouba, said the Iran-backed Houthis aim to copy Tehran’s effort to control international shipping around the Strait of Hormuz at Bab el-Mandeb. Speaking Monday at Yemen’s embassy in Riyadh, she said years of insufficient international response to commercial-shipping attacks had emboldened the group. Al-Zouba said firing was occurring along Yemen’s northwestern front from the Red Sea to the Saudi border, although neither side had begun an offensive. The warning comes as the Houthis attack Saudi Arabia and threaten a Red Sea route central to global trade and energy supplies.