Houthi threat to Bab al-Mandeb Strait could stretch US forces, former US envoy says

Former US Ambassador to Algeria and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Henry Ensher, says Yemen’s Houthis could take control of the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and that the US lacks the capacity to stop it from happening.

Henry Ensher told Al Jazeera that the Iran-backed group wants to at least threaten the important trade route for its own purposes and as a consequence of its alliance with Tehran. He said he was “surprised that this hasn’t happened” before.

“It may well be that the Iranians and the Houthis were just building their capabilities before they made their move,” he said.

He said the US, which has committed 20 ships to enforcing its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, would “hope that somebody else – the Saudis and their new alliance partners, potentially the Israelis – will take care of this particular problem,” he said.

“The idea that they [the US military] could force open or conduct a full blockade somewhere else starts to pull forces away from other theatres and really potentially creates a big problem,” he said.

“What the military is in the business of is providing the president options. And the more of its capabilities it uses, the fewer options it can present.”

Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe
Follow us on X: https://X.com/AJEnglish
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/
Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/
Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.news/AJEMobile

#Yemen #Houthis #AnsarAllah #BabAlMandebStrait #SaudiArabia #YemenWar #SaudiYemenTensions #HouthiStrikes #RedSea #RedSeaShipping #MiddleEastConflict #GlobalShipping #YemenCrisis #AlJazeeraEnglish