Second global chokepoint faces disruption risk as Houthis escalate and Red Sea tensions rise



Two chokepoints now in play and people still acting like this is contained, that is insane. There is no confirmed full blockade of Bab el Mandeb yet, but Houthis already firing toward Israel is real escalation and you do not fire missiles for show. Hormuz is already under pressure and now this second corridor is getting dragged into it, which is exactly how shipping risk spreads before any official “closure” ever gets announced. Markets do not wait for confirmation, they react to threat, rerouting starts, costs rise, and supply tightens fast. If both sides of the Arabian Peninsula get even partially squeezed, energy and trade flows take a hit immediately. People waiting for a formal declaration are going to be late to this, because the disruption starts long before anyone puts it in writing.

Yemen’s Houthis escalate attacks on Israel as they are drawn into Iran war – with vital trade route at risk of shutdown: Live updates

Yemen’s Houthis have claimed to have struck parts of southern Israel with ‘a barrage of cruise missiles and drones’ in a second attack today.

It comes after Israel’s military said it had successfully intercepted the first strike earlier today, but the move raises concerns that the armed militia could join Tehran in attacks on shipping in the region.

Experts fear that the Houthis could close the Suez Canal after the Yemeni militia joined the conflict in the Middle East overnight by firing a missile towards Israel.

The Houthis could target ships in the the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a choke point which leads to the Suez Canal, or even the canal itself, Mohamad Elmasry, a professor of Media Studies at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, has said.

This would mean a second major shipping route closed in addition to the Strait of Hormuz, potentially causing significant harm to the global economy – with vessels unable to retain insurance to travel through the region.