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Amid U.S.-Iran war, Houthi rebels threaten to blockade another key strait
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TEL AVIV, Israel — The Houthis, a Yemeni Shia militia that is aligned with Iran, have announced a naval blockade of a key waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Middle East conflict The U.S.-Iran battle over the Strait of Hormuz raises risks for global waterways In a video statement, a Houthi spokesperson said the blockade was in retaliation for strikes from Saudi Arabia on a major airport in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.
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Bab el-Mandeb has become even more important for Saudi Arabia now that the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed off by the U.S.-Iran war.
The blockade would also test Gulf states' resolve to counter Iran and Iran-aligned groups in the Middle East, including the Houthis.
Saudi Arabia condemned the blockade in a statement. The Houthis said in response that the Saudi kingdom is a "criminal" regime.
The Houthi rebels are designated by the U.S. State Department as a terrorist group.
Middle East conflict U.S. and Iran launch new strikes after 3 U.S. service members are killed Saudi Arabia, Iraq and the United Arab Emirates have been exploring the idea of building new oil pipelines or expanding existing ones to move oil overland instead of by sea, but those pipelines could take years to build.
The U.S. and Iran traded fire for a 10th consecutive day of strikes overnight.
U.S.
Iran's state news agency IRNA said Iranian forces targeted three bases hosting U.S. military personnel and equipment in Kuwait last night.
The fighting has now reached a new intensity since the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran in February.
The Pentagon on Monday confirmed the identities of two service members killed by Iranian attacks in northern Jordan on Friday and said another still remains missing.
That brings the death toll of the war in Iran to at least 17 service members killed. Iran's government says about 3,000 people in Iran have been killed in the war.
But a U.S.
He said most of them recovered quickly and went back to work.
Middle East conflict Why is it so hard for the U.S. to win wars?
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− Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Amid U.S.-Iran war, Houthis threaten to blockade Bab el-Mandeb The Houthis, a Shia militia in Yemen that's aligned with Iran, have announced a naval blockade of a key waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Amid U.S.-Iran war, Houthis declare blockade of Bab el-Mandeb The Houthis, a Shia militia in Yemen that's aligned with Iran, have announced a naval blockade of a key waterway, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
− Emily Feng
Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement gather during a rally against what the group says are restrictions imposed by the Saudi-led coalition on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, in Sanaa on July 17.
+ Emily Feng
Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement gather for a rally in Sanaa, Yemen, on July 17.
− The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of hitting the airport while an Iranian official was traveling through it earlier this month.
+ The Houthis have accused Saudi Arabia of hitting the airport while an Iranian official was traveling through it this month.
− On Tuesday, a Houthi-run news agency said six ships had to reroute in the Red Sea after receiving warnings from the Yemeni rebel group, without providing further details.
+ On Tuesday, MarineTraffic, which tracks vessel movements globally, said two oil tankers have rerouted after departing Saudi Arabia, calling it "the first operational response to heightened security risks in the Red Sea."
Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and it lets Saudi Arabia, one of the world's biggest oil producers, get millions of barrels of oil a day out to the open ocean for export.
− Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and it lets Saudi Arabia, one of the biggest oil producers in the world, get millions of barrels of oil a day out to the open ocean for export.
− Any potential Houthi blockade of the strait would rattle energy markets already shaken by the war in Iran and would likely raise energy prices further.
+ Any Houthi blockade of the strait will rattle energy markets already shaken by the war in Iran and will likely raise energy prices further.
− Central Command said late Monday it struck Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems.
+ Central Command said late Monday, U.S. Eastern time, that it struck Iranian military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems.
− The Pentagon later disclosed a third service member was killed in Iraq.
+ The Pentagon later disclosed that a third service member was killed in Iraq.
− The Pentagon says 427 people have been injured to date.
+ The Pentagon says 447 people have been injured to date.
− military official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed with NPR that the Defense Department has been slow-walking information on casualties.
+ military official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed with NPR that the Pentagon has been slow-walking information on casualties.
− Just this week the Pentagon spokesman admitted after questions from journalists that 100 service members have been injured in the last two weeks.
+ Just this week, a Pentagon spokesman admitted after questions from journalists that 100 service members have been injured in the last two weeks.
− Lebanon's president to meet Trump in the White House A separate ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon is still holding, despite ongoing Israeli strikes on people and sites in Lebanon that Israel claims are Hezbollah-affiliated.
+ Lebanon's president meets Trump at the White House A separate ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon is still holding, despite ongoing Israeli strikes on people and sites in Lebanon that Israel claims are Hezbollah affiliated.
− Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun is scheduled to meet President Trump in Washington on Tuesday, the first official White House visit by a Lebanese president since 2009.
+ President Trump met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House on Tuesday.
− His visit comes at a critical time.
+ Aoun's visit comes at a critical time.
− A sweeping roadmap for peace between Lebanon's government and Israel signed in June would see the Lebanese army disarm Hezbollah.
+ Israel occupies large parts of southern Lebanon, where it is fighting Hezbollah.
− But that is preconditioned on Israel withdrawing from the large amount of Lebanese territory it has occupied since earlier this year.
+ Under a U.S.-mediated pilot program, the Israelis have begun to hand off some small areas to the Lebanese armed forces. The deal also calls for Hezbollah to disarm.
− So far, the timeline for any Israeli withdrawal has been unclear, and about 400,000 Lebanese people remain internally displaced because of Israeli occupation or destruction of their homes.
+ Aoun is asking for more U.S. support for Lebanon's government. Trump said the administration will help "a lot," without offering specifics.
− NPR's Quil Lawrence contributed reporting.
+ About 400,000 Lebanese people remain internally displaced, according to the United Nations' migration agency, because of the Israeli occupation or destruction of their homes.
+ NPR's Quil Lawrence and Michele Kelemen contributed reporting.