Houthi gains, Bahraini defiance, and Iran's internal fractures

A senior Bahraini official rejects dialogue with Iran as the Houthis capture a strategic port, revealing Gulf fault lines.

Houthi gains, Bahraini defiance, and Iran's internal fractures — Over the weekend, the Houthis captured the strategic port city of Mokha and Perim Island, gaining de facto control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.[^1] The advance, which came as Saudi Arabia announced that drones launched from Iraq struck several points along its east-west oil pipeline yesterday, underscores the fragility of Red Sea security.[^2] The Saudi pipeline, which can carry up to 7 million barrels per day and bypasses the Strait of Hormuz, was already under pressure from Brent crude prices above $100 per barrel.[^2] A senior Bahraini official told Kan News that it is impossible to sit with the Iranians after the recent attacks.[^3] "How can we sit with them after all the attacks they have carried out against us in recent months?" the official asked.[^3] This hawkish stance contrasts with reports that some Gulf states are willing to compromise with Tehran, despite statements about restoring the status quo.[^3] Meanwhile, an extremist faction within the Iranian leadership attacked three ships in the Strait of Hormuz in early July without the approval of President Pezeshkian and the commander of the Revolutionary Guards.[^4] The regime formulated an official version blaming the US, but few are convinced by it.[^4] The attack on three commercial ships was carried out on the initiative of individuals acting on their own, according to reports.[^4] Will the Houthi territorial gains push Saudi Arabia toward a more confrontational stance, or will the kingdom seek to accommodate the new reality on the ground? Eisenkot's lone dissent and the shifting Israeli political ground — Gadi Eisenkot was the only member of the security cabinet who begged to postpone the return to fighting during the discussions on the first hostage deal, according to Kan News. [^1] While Chief of Staff Halevi, Gallant, and Netanyahu all called for a return to fighting, Eisenkot proposed accepting Hamas's offer for seven elderly men and three bodies at zero cost. [^1] The revelation, published hours ago, sharpens the contrast between the security cabinet's wartime unanimity and the lone dissenter who now leads in the polls.