Attention is now shifting further west to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a narrow but indispensable passage at the southern end of the Red Sea, where even limited instability risks compounding existing disruptions. Here is why the Bab al-Mandeb Strait matters — and what is at stake as tensions rise:Where is the world’s ‘Gate of Tears?’The Bab al-Mandeb Strait sits at a critical crossroads between continents, separating Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula from Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. He said the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and Bab al-Mandeb “will be among the options” to be used as leverage in the ongoing war. Analysts warn that continued tensions around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait could have wide-ranging consequences. “Absent the Red Sea route, Gulf oil flows could grind to a halt after a couple more weeks of war,” she wrote in mid-March.

Source: The Express Tribune March 30, 2026 22:18 UTC