2026-08-16T09:53:38-04:00 / 福克斯新闻频道
受伊朗支持的胡塞武装对途经曼德海峡的船只发动的袭击不断升级，引发了一个日益严峻的战略问题：这条航道是否会成为下一个霍尔木兹海峡？
这一问题的答案因地理环境以及也门本国局势而变得复杂。与霍尔木兹海峡不同——伊朗可直接从本国海岸线威胁航运——德黑兰对曼德海峡的影响力在很大程度上依赖其胡塞武装盟友。而掌控这条海峡沿岸的国家内部武装和政治势力林立、四分五裂，令美国及其地区盟友面临着或许单靠海军力量难以解决的威胁。
周二的袭击凸显了这一危险：胡塞武装在曼德海峡袭击了埃及籍货轮“提哈迈号”。据也门和巴基斯坦官员透露，袭击造成4名船员死亡，其中3名巴基斯坦人和1名印度尼西亚人；也门海岸警卫队表示，救援人员抵达后，胡塞武装再次发动袭击，导致2名也门救援人员死亡。路透社报道称，若此次伤亡得到证实，将是自2月28日美伊冲突爆发以来，胡塞武装袭击航运船只首次造成人员死亡。
伊朗支持的胡塞武装在红海构成的威胁或引发美国重大政策转向，分析师称
曼德海峡位于也门与非洲之角之间，连接亚丁湾和阿拉伯海与红海，向北可通往苏伊士运河和地中海。它是能源和商业航运的关键通道。苏伊士运河和埃及的苏麦德输油管道共同构成了这条红海通道的北端。
但这条通道的南侧毗邻一个已陷入十多年战乱的国家。
胡塞武装控制着首都萨那和也门北部大片地区，而国际公认的沙特支持的政府以及一系列盟友或敌对势力则控制着其他地区。由阿联酋支持的分离主义运动“南方过渡委员会”是也门南部的主要力量。
这种分裂局面对这条航道的安全日益构成影响。
伊朗支持的恐怖代理组织胡塞武装在也门机场遇袭后威胁发动新一轮袭击
南方过渡委员会外交事务主管阿姆鲁·阿尔比迪告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，海军力量可以保卫单艘船只，但无法仅凭自身消除胡塞武装控制的沿岸地区对海上航线构成的威胁。
“海军存在可以保护单艘船只，但无法摧毁胡塞武装的发射阵地，无法切断为他们提供补给的走私路线，也无法控制地盘，”阿尔比迪说道。
他表示，“必须在地面部署力量”才能最终确保曼德海峡的安全。
局势恶化之际，也门国内局势也全面升级。联合国特使汉斯·格伦德贝里周四向安理会表示，也门正面临自2022年联合国斡旋休战以来再次爆发大规模战争的最严重威胁，并警告胡塞武装对商业船只的新一轮袭击可能会将也门更深地卷入更广泛的地区对抗。
2014年胡塞武装夺取萨那，次年沙特领导多国介入也门内战，多年战火后，该休战协议大幅减少了大规模冲突。尽管正式休战协议于2022年10月到期，但多年来大规模敌对行动仍相对有限。
伊朗封锁“正走向全球化”，这是对中国和俄罗斯的警告信号
7月20日，胡塞武装宣布对沙特实施所谓的海上封锁，威胁所有与沙特港口有业务往来的船只。利雅得否认了胡塞武装关于沙特对也门实施围困的指控。
一名不愿透露姓名的白宫官员表示，美国预计胡塞武装将继续遵守停火协议条款。该官员称，胡塞武装“在‘ Rough Rider行动’中见识到，美国和特朗普总统将采取必要行动，保护航行自由和美国商业船只免受胡塞武装的恐怖袭击”。
该官员补充道，美国正致力于保护核心国家安全利益——包括红海的航行自由——同时“授权我们的地区伙伴牵头管理和解决地区安全挑战”。该官员表示，华盛顿正就地区稳定问题与沙特和也门共和国政府持续保持对话。
联合海事信息中心的数据显示，自7月20日宣布封锁以来，油轮过境量下降了约40%，反对核伊朗组织援引该数据指出这一点。该组织还表示，有观察到油轮在追踪系统中广播“中国船东”和“船上有武装警卫”的信息，显然是为了降低被袭击的风险。
在美国与伊朗会谈期间，霍尔木兹海峡一艘贸易船只遭 projectile 袭击
与此同时，据路透社7月28日援引中国和地区消息人士的报道，中国已就中国船只的安全通行问题与胡塞武装进行接触。在胡塞武装宣布封锁后，已有四艘前往中国的油轮通过曼德海峡，北京方面正为其航运寻求保障。
由于数百英里之外的局势变化，经济风险正在上升。
随着霍尔木兹海峡的航运因美伊冲突中断，沙特阿拉伯越来越依赖其红海出口基础设施。
这使得红海既成为霍尔木兹海峡的替代通道，也成为一个潜在的第二压力点。
也门诺贝尔和平奖得主塔瓦克尔·卡曼周四在联合国警告称，也门国内的崩溃正日益威胁到其国界之外的利益。
“这不再仅仅是也门的危机，”卡曼说道。“也门国家的持续崩溃威胁着国际航行和贸易、能源安全以及全球供应链，并破坏地区和国际和平与安全。”
卡曼应担任安理会本月主席的丹麦邀请，向安理会成员进行情况通报，但丹麦副联合国大使表示，“强烈反对”导致通报未能举行。卡曼转而在安理会会议厅外向记者发表了讲话。
在接受福克斯新闻数字频道的单独采访时，卡曼认为，恢复一个运转正常的也门政府最终对于击败武装组织和确保国家稳定至关重要。
特朗普警告伊朗冲突尚未结束，他誓言美国将“获胜”，而谈判陷入停滞
“也门人民可以做到这一点，”卡曼在谈到击败胡塞武装和其他民兵组织时说道。“我们可以成为拯救全球和地区安全的伙伴。”
“不恢复也门的稳定，就不可能有可持续的和平，”她补充道。
但美国专家警告，不要将曼德海峡简单视为第二个霍尔木兹海峡。
“伊朗对曼德海峡通航的直接影响力，并不及对霍尔木兹海峡的影响力，”美国国防民主基金会高级顾问、前国家安全委员会官员理查德·戈德堡告诉福克斯新闻数字频道。
“这种战略将更多地依赖代理人——伊拉克组织袭击基础设施，胡塞武装针对红海，”戈德堡说道。
但他表示，这种战略存在局限。“胡塞武装现在比过去更加独立，且尚未表现出与全世界开战的兴趣——只是针对利雅得，”戈德堡说道。
他还指出了两条航道之间的一个关键区别：无法安全通过曼德海峡的船只，可以完全绕行非洲，避开红海。
“与霍尔木兹海峡不同，如果确实需要，航运公司可以绕行红海，”戈德堡说道。“这会增加成本和时间，但不像霍尔木兹海峡那样是一个单一的致命弱点。”
因此，美国、沙特阿拉伯及其盟友面临的问题是，如何防止胡塞武装的威胁进一步升级。
利雅得目前正试图组建两个相互重叠的地区安全合作架构。
沙特阿拉伯、土耳其和巴基斯坦于8月7日签署了《麦加共同防御协议》，这是一项共同防御协定，呼吁开展高层政治和军事协调、联合演习以及深化国防工业合作。土耳其强调，该协议是防御性的，并未将伊朗或任何其他国家列为敌人。
沙特外交政策研究员、海湾国际论坛高级非常驻研究员阿齐兹·阿尔加沙尼本周早些时候告诉福克斯新闻数字频道，此举的一个直接影响可能是加强针对伊朗支持的武装组织，特别是胡塞武装的协调行动。
阿尔加沙尼表示，该协议可能会在沙特-也门边境附近形成更强大的三边存在，“特别是在海事领域”，同时让利雅得能够对伊朗支持的民兵组织采取更坚定的集体立场，即便它仍对德黑兰保持更具外交性的态度。
另外，沙特阿拉伯还牵头开展了一项专门针对航道安全的举措。
沙特国防部7月30日宣布计划组建一个多国海上防御联盟，旨在保护曼德海峡、红海和亚丁湾的航行自由以及商业和能源航线。包括土耳其、巴基斯坦、埃及、苏丹和吉布提在内的14个国家最初支持该倡议。
土耳其国防部周四证实，安卡拉正在参与在吉达举行的旨在建立该联盟的会议。
美国国务院发言人另向福克斯新闻数字频道表示，保护红海和霍尔木兹海峡的商业航运仍是特朗普政府的“首要任务”，并指出航行自由是华盛顿在中东的核心国家安全利益之一。“我们将继续与国际伙伴合作，威慑伊朗及其代理人对商船的袭击，确保商业自由流通，并追究那些威胁国际航运通道安全的人的责任，”美国国务院发言人说道。
该发言人表示，美国政府还致力于切断伊朗向胡塞武装提供资金和武器的渠道，并指出美国已制裁了与该组织相关的200多个实体。
“我们谴责伊朗公然侵犯也门主权和国际法，威胁航行自由，并支持其胡塞武装代理人，”该发言人说道。美国国务院还强调，随着曼德海峡周边威胁升级，华盛顿支持沙特阿拉伯和也门的国际公认政府。
“美国坚定支持沙特阿拉伯王国和也门国际公认的政府，反对胡塞武装的恐怖主义，”该发言人说道。“我们与沙特和也门伙伴保持密切磋商，并继续致力于他们的安全。”
Bab el-Mandeb Strait faces growing threat as Houthi attacks raise fears of a second Hormuz
2026-08-16T09:53:38-04:00 / Fox News
The Iran-backed Houthis’ escalating attacks on shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait are raising a growing strategic question: Could the waterway become the next Strait of Hormuz?
The answer is complicated by the geography — and by Yemen itself. Unlike Hormuz, where Iran can directly threaten shipping from its own coastline, Tehran’s leverage over Bab el-Mandeb depends largely on its Houthi allies. And the country overlooking the strait is fractured among competing armed and political forces, leaving the U.S. and its regional allies confronting a threat that may be difficult to solve with naval power alone.
The danger was underscored Tuesday when the Houthis attacked the Egyptian-owned cargo ship Tihamah in Bab el-Mandeb. Four crew members — three Pakistanis and one Indonesian — were killed, according to Yemeni and Pakistani officials, while two Yemeni rescuers were killed when the Houthis struck again after rescue crews arrived, Yemen’s Coast Guard said. Reuters reported that the fatalities, if confirmed, would be the first deaths in a Houthi strike on shipping since the U.S.-Iran war began Feb. 28.
IRAN-BACKED HOUTHI THREAT IN RED SEA COULD LEAD TO MAJOR US POLICY SHIFT, ANALYSTS SAY
Yemeni soldiers patrol the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen, April 5, 2026.(Abdulnasser Alseddik/AP Photo)
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, is located between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, connects the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea to the Red Sea and, farther north, the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. It is a crucial route for energy and commercial shipping. The Suez Canal and Egypt’s SUMED pipeline effectively form the northern end of the same Red Sea corridor.
But the southern side of that corridor borders a country that has been at war for more than a decade.
The Houthis control the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, while the internationally recognized, Saudi-backed government and an array of allied or competing groups control areas elsewhere. The Southern Transitional Council, a separatist movement that has been backed by the United Arab Emirates, has been a major force in the south.
That fragmentation is becoming increasingly relevant to the security of the waterway.
IRAN-BACKED TERROR PROXY HOUTHIS THREATEN FRESH ATTACKS AFTER YEMEN AIRPORT STRIKE
Amr Al Bidh, the STC’s foreign affairs chief, told Fox News Digital that naval forces can defend individual vessels but cannot by themselves remove the threat posed by Houthi-controlled territory overlooking the maritime route.
“Naval presence protects individual ships. It does not take away Houthi launch sites, it does not interdict the smuggling routes that resupply them and it does not hold terrain,” Al Bidh said.
He said that “you have to be on the ground” to ultimately secure Bab el-Mandeb.
Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, on Aug. 3, 2026.(Reuters)
The deterioration comes amid a broader escalation in Yemen. U.N. Special Envoy Hans Grundberg told the Security Council Thursday that the country faces its most serious threat of a return to large-scale war since the U.N.-brokered 2022 truce, warning that renewed Houthi attacks on commercial vessels risk drawing Yemen deeper into the wider regional confrontation.
That truce sharply reduced major fighting after years of war following the Houthis’ seizure of Sanaa in 2014 and the Saudi-led military intervention the following year. Though the formal truce expired in October 2022, large-scale hostilities remained comparatively limited for years.
IRAN BLOCKADE ‘GOING GLOBAL’ IS A WARNING SIGNAL TO CHINA AND RUSSIA
Yemen’s Iran-backed armed Houthi group has warned they will move to shutter the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait through missile-drone attacks if Gulf nations join the US-Israel war on Iran.(Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
On July 20, the Houthis declared what they called a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, threatening vessels doing business with Saudi ports. Riyadh denies the Houthi accusation that Saudi Arabia has imposed a siege on Yemen.
A White House official, speaking on background, said the United States expects the Houthis to continue to uphold the terms of the ceasefire. The official said the Houthis “saw during Operation Rough Rider that the United States and President Trump will take necessary action to protect freedom of navigation and U.S. commercial shipping from Houthi terrorist attacks.”
The official added that the United States is focused on protecting core national security interests — including freedom of navigation in the Red Sea — while “empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges.” The official said Washington is in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen government regarding regional stability.
United Against Nuclear Iran, citing Joint Maritime Information Center data, has put the decline in tanker transits since the July 20 blockade declaration at roughly 40%. UANI also said tankers have been observed broadcasting messages including “CHINESE OWNER” and “ARMED GUARD ON BOARD” through their tracking systems, apparently in an effort to reduce the chance of being targeted.
TRADE VESSEL STRUCK BY PROJECTILE IN STRAIT OF HORMUZ AMID US-IRAN TALKS
Thousands of people gather at Sabeen Square, under the control of the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, to protest the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, in Sanaa, Yemen on March 6, 2026.(Mohammed Hamoud/Anadolu via Getty Images)
China, meanwhile, has been in contact with the Houthis over safe passage for Chinese vessels, according to a July 28 Reuters report citing Chinese and regional sources. Four China-bound tankers had crossed Bab el-Mandeb following the blockade announcement as Beijing sought assurances for its shipping.
The economic stakes are rising because of what is happening hundreds of miles to the east.
Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on its Red Sea export infrastructure as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has been disrupted by the U.S.-Iran conflict.
That makes the Red Sea both an alternative to Hormuz — and a potential second pressure point.
Yemeni Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman warned at the United Nations Thursday that Yemen’s internal collapse is increasingly threatening interests far beyond its borders.
“This is no longer a Yemeni crisis alone,” Karman said. “The continued collapse of the state in Yemen threatens international navigation and trade, energy security, and global supply chains and undermines regional and international peace and security.”
Karman had been invited by Denmark, which holds the Security Council presidency, to brief council members, but Denmark’s deputy U.N. ambassador said “strong opposition” prevented the briefing from taking place. Karman instead addressed reporters outside the chamber.
In a separate interview with Fox News Digital, Karman argued that restoring a functioning Yemeni state is ultimately essential to defeating armed groups and securing the country.
TRUMP WARNS IRAN FIGHTING ISN’T OVER AS HE VOWS US WILL ‘WIN’ AS TALKS FADE
Houthi terrorists walk over British and U.S. flags at a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and Houthi strikes on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on Feb. 4, 2024, on the outskirts of Sana’a, Yemen.(Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
“Yemeni people can do that,” Karman said of defeating the Houthis and other militias. “We can be partners on saving the global and regional security.”
“Without restoring Yemen, that means there is not any sustainable peace,” she added.
But U.S. experts caution against treating Bab el-Mandeb as simply a second Hormuz.
“Iran doesn’t have the same direct influence on flows through the Bab al-Mandeb as it does for the Strait of Hormuz,” Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and former National Security Council official, told Fox News Digital.
“The strategy would depend much more on proxies — Iraqi groups focusing fire on infrastructure and the Houthis focusing on the Red Sea,” Goldberg said.
But he said there are limits to that strategy. “The Houthis act much more independently than they used to, and have not yet shown an interest to going to war against the world — just against Riyadh,” Goldberg said.
He also pointed to one critical difference between the two waterways: ships that cannot safely cross Bab el-Mandeb can bypass the Red Sea entirely by sailing around Africa.
“Unlike Hormuz, shippers can go around the Red Sea if they really need to,” Goldberg said. “It adds cost and time but it’s not a single point of failure like Hormuz.”
The question facing U.S., Saudi Arabia and its partners is therefore how to prevent the Houthi threat from becoming more serious.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, left, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, center, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sign a defense agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Aug. 7, 2026.(TUR Presidency/Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Riyadh is now trying to assemble two overlapping layers of regional security cooperation.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement on Aug. 7, a mutual-defense pact that calls for high-level political and military coordination, joint exercises and deeper defense-industry cooperation. Turkey has stressed that the agreement is defensive and does not identify Iran or any other country as an enemy.
Dr. Aziz Alghashian, a Saudi foreign-policy researcher and senior non-resident fellow at Gulf International Forum, told Fox News Digital earlier this week that one immediate implication could be greater coordination against Iran-backed groups, particularly the Houthis.
Alghashian said the pact could produce a greater trilateral presence near the Saudi-Yemeni border, “especially in the maritime dimension,” while allowing Riyadh to take a firmer collective approach toward Iran-backed militias even as it maintains a more diplomatic approach toward Tehran itself.
Separately, Saudi Arabia is leading an effort specifically focused on the waterways.
The Saudi Defense Ministry announced July 30 plans for a multinational maritime-defense coalition intended to protect freedom of navigation and commercial and energy routes through Bab el-Mandeb, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Fourteen countries, including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan and Djibouti, initially backed the initiative.
Turkey’s Defense Ministry confirmed Thursday that Ankara is participating in meetings in Jeddah aimed at establishing the coalition.
Ships are anchored in the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 10, 2026, off the coast of Bandar Abbas, Iran.(Ali Saeedi/Getty Images)
A State Department spokesperson separately told Fox News Digital that protecting commercial shipping through both the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz remains a “top priority” for the Trump administration, pointing to freedom of navigation as one of Washington’s core national security interests in the Middle East. “We will continue to work with international partners to deter Iranian and Iranian-proxy attacks on merchant vessels, ensure the free flow of commerce and hold accountable those who threaten the safety of international shipping lanes,” a State Department spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the administration is also seeking to disrupt the flow of Iranian money and weapons to the Houthis, noting that the U.S. has sanctioned more than 200 entities associated with the group.
“We condemn Iran’s flagrant violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and international law in threatening freedom of navigation and supporting their Houthi proxies,” the spokesperson said. The State Department also emphasized Washington’s support for Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognized government as the threat around Bab el-Mandeb grows.
“The United States stands firmly with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the internationally recognized government of Yemen against Houthi terrorism,” the spokesperson said. “We are in close consultation with our Saudi and Yemeni partners and remain committed to their security.”
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