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Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Friday warned they would join the war in support of Iran if US-Israeli escalation continues or if other countries enter the confrontation, risking a return of the Red Sea to the line of fire.
"We affirm that our fingers are on the trigger for direct military intervention," the group's military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement, outlining three red lines.
The first, he said, would be the entry of any additional alliances alongside the US and Israel against Iran and what he called the “Axis of Resistance.” The second is the use of the Red Sea by Washington or Israel to carry out hostile operations against Iran or any Muslim country. The third is • "the continuation of the escalation against the Islamic Republic and the Axis of Jihad and Resistance, as dictated by the theatre of military operations".
The group is positioned along Yemen’s western coastline near Bab Al Mandeb, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints. The last time they entered a regional conflict during Israel's war on Gaza, they targeted commercial vessels with drones and missiles, disrupting global shipping lanes. They also attacked Israel, prompting a fierce Israeli and US military retaliation.
Their involvement risks amplifying the global impact of the current US-Israeli war on Iran. If Bab Al Mandeb comes under sustained attack, it would compound an already fragile situation after Iran’s move to block the Strait of Hormuz.
The two straits form a continuous corridor for global trade and function as sequential choke points along the same artery, despite being geographically distant, with a sea route of 3,500 to 4,000 kilometres.
Ships and tankers leaving the Gulf exit through Hormuz, cross the Arabian Sea, enter the Gulf of Aden, pass through Bab Al Mandeb into the Red Sea, and continue towards the Suez Canal and European markets. If both are hit, the route effectively breaks end-to-end.
Diverting resources
Houthi rebels, Yemen's Iran-backed armed militia, control the capital Sanaa and the vital port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea. They are the last major holdout of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance" since the war began on February 28, given that Hezbollah and Iraqi militias joined within days of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran.
From late 2023 through 2025, the Houthis ran a campaign of attacks on Red Sea shipping in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. They carried out hundreds of attacks, striking dozens of ships and forcing hundreds of cargo vessels to reroute around the entire African continent to avoid them.
When the Houthis attacked Red Sea shipping, the Strait of Hormuz was open. But Iran has blocked it since the war began, choking off one-fifth of the world's oil supply at the source. The Red Sea is the main functioning bypass route to keep millions of barrels of oil moving.
An estimated 6 to 7 million barrels of oil per day transit Bab Al Mandeb, along with a significant share of global container traffic linking Asia to Europe. For many shipping companies, it is the fastest and most cost-effective route between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean.
A full blockade scenario, with both straits closed, would remove more oil from global markets. Prices were already elevated from Hormuz alone.
On the military side, the US will be forced to divert offensive resources from strikes on Iran to targeting Houthi launchpads and booby-trapped small boats.
Their involvement would come at a critical time as the US prepares to deploy thousands more troops in the Middle East, amid speculation of ground operations inside Iran. It would also be a potential signal that Tehran believes it needs every card amid relentless Israeli and US strikes.
