Missiles and drones are no longer needed — the Houthis tighten their grip

The Houthis have captured the island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, gaining the ability to control shipping from close range. Experts explain that now simple surveillance tools are sufficient for attacks, rather than missiles and drones. The global economy has already adapted, but Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt could suffer from the blockade.

The Houthis have captured the island of Perim, located in the center of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This gives them the ability to control nearly the entire Yemeni side of the strategic maritime route. Reserve Brigadier General Yuval Aylon, former head of the Intelligence Division of the Israeli Navy, explains that the physical proximity to the strait allows the Houthis to detect ships using simple means — from a distance of 10 kilometers, a ship is visible to the naked eye. This renders previous defense measures, such as disabling automatic data transmission systems, ineffective. Additionally, the Houthis can now use much cheaper means of attack. Aylon concludes: "The Houthis are becoming the ones who will decide who passes through the strait and who does not." Dr. Yigal Maor, a specialist in geologistics, notes that global maritime transport has already adapted to the new reality since December 2023 by switching to the route around Africa, so container shipping will not be seriously affected. However, Saudi Arabia has found itself in a double trap: the blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait has been compounded by the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the closure of an oil pipeline. The UAE also faces a blockade of the route to Europe. Egypt's revenues from the Suez Canal have dropped by 80%. For Israel, the direct impact is minimal — the port of Eilat handles only about 3% of cargo. Indirectly, Israeli consumers may feel the rise in global energy prices. Aylon believes that a solution requires significant ground forces and names Turkey as a potential coalition participant.