THE RED SEA'S HIDDEN WAR: While the World Watches Hormuz, Yemen Is Rewriting the Map
THE RED SEA'S HIDDEN WAR: While the World Watches Hormuz, Yemen Is Rewriting the Map Core thesis: In 2026, global strategic attention is locked on the Strait of Hormuz—US-Iran conflict, energy transport, diplomatic negotiations. But as the world focuses its gaze there, a quiet strategic redrawing is taking place on Yemen's western coast. In September, the Houthis seized Mocha Port and key islands around Bab el-Mandeb in less than ten days—the most drastic military escalation since the 2022 ceasefire. Saudi Arabia immediately announced it would launch a counteroffensive to retake the waterway, while Turkey and Pakistan began deploying military forces to Saudi Arabia under the newly activated Makkah Defense Pact. Bab el-Mandeb is becoming a "second Hormuz"—not because the two are identical, but because when the world stares at one closed door, another door is changing hands. --- HOOK 10 September 2026. Houthi forces entered Mocha Port. Hours later, their naval forces l...