Yemen's internationally recognised government has warned that the Houthi movement could seek to expand towards the country's western coastline and strategic islands around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, raising fresh concerns over one of the world's key shipping routes.

Information Minister Muammar al-Eryani said the Houthis were working with Iranian support to establish conditions for greater control of the waterway through an expansion along Yemen's western coast and attempts to strengthen their position on strategically important Red Sea islands.

In a statement issued earlier this month, Eryani said the Houthis were seeking to replicate what he described as the model of the Strait of Hormuz in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. He also alleged that the group was developing mechanisms to impose payments on commercial vessels.

The minister's claims come as Houthi attacks have intensified around government-held areas and shipping routes. On August 11, a commercial vessel was struck by three missiles in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, killing four crew members and two Yemeni personnel, according to Yemeni officials cited by the Associated Press.

The Houthis have also recently attacked the government-controlled port city of Mocha, which lies close to the strait. Yemeni authorities said the August 9 attack killed at least seven people and wounded about 30.

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The latest escalation has heightened the strategic importance of Bab el-Mandeb as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely disrupted. Reuters reported on August 19 that traffic through Hormuz had slowed sharply amid continuing uncertainty over the waterway, while vessels have also faced disruption around Bab el-Mandeb because of Houthi attacks.

The Houthis have denied that they intend to prevent general shipping through the Red Sea. In an August 1 statement, a Houthi-run maritime coordination centre said transit through the waterway remained free and rejected reports that the group planned to charge vessels for passage.

The Yemeni government does not currently control all of the territory surrounding Bab el-Mandeb. The Houthis control large parts of western Yemen, including Hodeidah on the Red Sea, while government-aligned forces hold positions farther south around Mocha, the Bab el-Mandeb approaches and other parts of the western coastline.

Government forces have responded by reinforcing their positions. Brigadier General Hamdi Shukri, commander of Yemen's Fourth Military Region, has ordered forces to reorganise along the Al Anad axis and raise their readiness around the Al Masimair, Karsh, Hayfan and Al Qubaytah fronts.

The renewed fighting follows a period of relative calm after the 2022 truce. The Houthis resumed attacks on shipping and government-held areas in 2026 after the wider regional conflict involving Iran intensified.

For commercial shipping, the concern extends beyond the immediate fighting. Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and provides a major maritime route between Asia and Europe through the Suez Canal. Recent attacks have already prompted some companies to reroute vessels, increasing voyage times and costs.