How the Houthis are also putting Egypt under pressure

Any and all ships may pass, at least at first. That was how the spokesperson for Yemen's Houthis rebel militia put it. Transit through the Red Sea would be safe, with one exception: According to the Houthi spokesperson, ships from Saudi Arabia would not be allowed to pass this stretch of the sea. The comments came during a time when the Houthi militia has been fighting to increase its presence at the southern entrance to the ocean passage. The Houthis now control the tiny volcanic island of Mayun, also known as Perim, at the entrance to the Red Sea , as well as other parts of the Yemeni coast and some small islands.