The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen are hard at work trying to gain control of the bottleneck of the Red Sea, thus allowing them to control Israel’s southernmost naval bay, near the port of Eilat, as well as all maritime trade in Europe, which passes through the Suez Canal and the sea Red as it heads towards Asia and Africa.
The Shiite Houthi militia "Ansar Allah" has already taken over large areas in northern Yemen, in the capital Sanaa and on the port city of Hodeidah, and is now working under Iran's direction to take over the strategic strait of Bab el-Mandeb, at the mouth of the Red Sea.
Reports from Yemen indicate that in recent days, the Houthi militia forces tried to take over several coastal areas near Bab el-Mandeb but were stopped by the Yemeni army.
The Houthis are aided by members of the presidential guard who are loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was president until being deposed in 2012.
The rebels recently attacked the presidential palace in Yemen, leading to the resignation of current President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.
Reportedly Iran is seeking to gain control over Yemen in a similar way in which it has used its proxy terror group Hezbollah to gain control in Lebanon.
Iran held a massive naval drill late last December in which it sent war ships near the Yemenite coast, in a clear message signalling the Islamic regime's interests.