Israel threatens Iran with military action if Bab el-Mandeb Strait is blocked
If Iran attempts to close off the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which serves as the only outlet from the Red Sea, there will be countermeasures taken by an “International Coalition,” asserted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“If Iran attempts to block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, I am certain that it will meet the decisive resistance of an international coalition, which will include all branches of the Israeli armed forces,” Netanyahu said, during a visit to the Israeli naval base at Haifa.
According to Reuters, last week Yemeni Houthi insurgents, supported by Iran, attacked two Saudi oil tankers that were passing through the Strait. “One of the tankers received minimal damage, no one was injured, no oil spill was reported,” according to a statement from the Saudi oil company Aramco, cited in The Times of Israel.
For three years, Saudi Arabia has been involved in the civil war in Yemen. Recently, a coalition headed by Riyadh launched an offensive on the port of Hodeidah, which provides the insurgents access to the Red Sea. The Houthi rebels had already threatened to block off the Strait.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is located between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa and connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.