Brief historical overview 

The name Bab el-Mandeb is of Arabic origin, where “bab” means “gate” or “door”, and “mandeb” means “weeping”, “grief” or  “tears”, that is, the Gate of Tears or Grief. 

For centuries,  the strait has posed a danger to shipping, which is why it got its name. This area is characterized by strong underwater currents, narrow straits, shallow waters, numerous small islands, and an underwater reef, including the “Seven Brothers” archipelago off the coast of Africa. Ships passing through the strait often sank here, which is one explanation for its name.  

Another explanation is of a more mythical nature: according to Arab traditions, in the far past, Asia and Africa were connected by a land bridge. A powerful earthquake caused the land to split, resulting in a strait. According to legend, many people drowned as a result of this catastrophic accident. The origin of the name “Gate of Tears” is interpreted similarly.   

In the eastern part of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, near Yemen, lies Perim Island, which divides the strait into two parts. This 3-kilometer-wide stretch is called the Alexander (Iskander) Strait, where the water depth is less than 30 meters, which also hinders navigation, further confirming the origin of the name “Gate of Grief” or “Gate of Tears”. The western part of the strait is called Dact-el-Mayun, it is wider, about 25 km, and the water depth reaches 300 meters in places.   

It is noteworthy that the legend of the “crack” in the strait has a geological basis. Tectonic shifts during the Miocene epoch led to the formation of the Danakil Depression – a land bridge that once provided a major link between Yemen and Ethiopia. Over millions of years, tectonic forces and sea-level changes have effectively separated these landmasses.   

Perhaps it was precisely the memory of the past and the myths that inspired people to consider connecting the two continents: in 2008, a remarkable proposal was put forward to build a bridge across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which would be named the “Bridge of the Horns ” and would link Yemen and Djibouti. Architectural firms were even brought in to work on the design, but their work was suspended in 2010, and to this day, no one mentions the project.  

In the 20th century, attacks on merchant ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait were recorded in 1971, when an Egyptian vessel opened fire on a ship travelling to Israel. 

Two years later, in October 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, Egypt sent two warships to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to block the entrance to the strait for ships heading to Israel. The aim of this campaign was not to completely block the global supply chain: the Egyptians generally did not prevent other, “non-Israeli” ships from entering. By closing the Strait, Egypt was putting economic pressure on Israel. Since the Yom Kippur War took place in the Suez Canal area, Israel was unable to use that route for obvious reasons. The only seaport in the south was the city of Eliat, located on the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea. By closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Egypt has effectively surrounded Israel and also improved the prospects for negotiations on the diplomatic front. The blockade of the strait was lifted in late November 1973, as a result of diplomatic efforts by U.S. Secretary of State Kissinger.   

In the early 2000s, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden became a zone of undeclared naval warfare. On October 12, 2000, the American destroyer USS Cole entered the port of Aden, Yemen, to refuel. Soon, a motorboat approaches the ship, and the two suicide bombers detonate approximately 300 kg of explosives. The explosion severely damaged the section of the ship where the mess hall was located. 16 American sailors were killed and 39 others were injured. The crew managed to stop the flow of water and save the ship from sinking.     

An investigation began immediately after the incident, and dozens of FBI agents were sent to Yemen. It was ultimately determined that members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network carried out the attack, and by the end of 2000, several members of that terrorist organization had been arrested.  

Two years following the attack on the American tanker, on October 6, 2002, the Limburg tanker, owned by the French company Euronav, which was carrying 397,000 barrels of crude oil from Iran to Malaysia, was attacked. The tanker was in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen to pick up another load of oil. The vessel was flying the French flag and had been chartered by the Malaysian oil company PETRONAS. The incident occurred as the vessel approached the port of Mukalla in Yemen: when the ship slowed down to drop anchor, a fishing motorboat collided with the tanker at high speed. The explosion caused the tanker to catch fire, and the oil storage facilities began to burn. 

At the time of the attack, there were 25 people (French and Bulgarian) on board. The explosion killed one Bulgarian sailor and injured 12 others. In addition to human casualties, the attack led to an environmental disaster: approximately 90,000 barrels of oil spilled into the Gulf of Aden, polluting the coastal area. Al-Qaeda has once again claimed responsibility for the attack and Osama bin Laden issued a special statement on the matter. 

On October 1, 2016, the HSV-2 Swift high-speed catamaran, formerly operated by the U.S. Navy, was attacked. At the time of the attack, the vessel was being operated by the UAE for humanitarian and logistical purposes and was located near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The vessel was unexpectedly hit by rocket fire from the Houthi-controlled coast of Yemen. During the attack, an anti-ship missile is fired, damaging the bow of the ship. Over the following years, numerous UAE vessels were also attacked.   

Shortly after the incident,  the U.S. Navy ships USS Ponce and USS Mason began patrolling the area. Between October 9-15, 2016, the USS Mason came under missile fire three times from Houthi-controlled territory near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The ship’s anti-missile systems are capable of shooting down missiles, and the warship sustains no damage. 

In 2017-2018, other attacks were recorded in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, during which certain tactical changes took place: whereas anti-ship missiles had previously been the main threat, during this period, remotely controlled motorboats loaded with explosives and other more advanced weapons were increasingly used. Besides ships,  the Houthis also began using sea mines in 2017-2018. 

On January 31, 2017, three remotely operated boats attacked a vessel belonging to the Royal Saudi Navy, causing an explosion that killed two sailors and injured several others. Following this attack, Aramco temporarily suspended oil shipments through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which negatively affected the global oil market.   

In April 2018 and again in July, attacks were carried out on Saudi tankers, which once again affected global oil prices. 

Besides boats, in 2017-2018, the Houthis began using sea mines on a massive scale (mostly copies of Iranian “Sadaf”-type mines). 

In 2021-2022, during the “shadow naval war” between Iran and Israel, attacks on ships became more frequent. It was a period when both sides, while avoiding open, full-scale war, attacked each other’s merchant and support vessels using limpet mines, drones and sabotage teams. 

In early April 2021, the Iranian cargo ship MV Saviz, which had anchored in the Red Sea, off the coast of Eritrea for years, was attacked. According to the official report, the vessel sustained “minor damage”. Although the MV Saviz was considered a civilian vessel, some sources indicated that it served as a floating base for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and was used for intelligence activities.  

Al-Jazeera, citing The New York Times, quoted that according to an anonymous U.S. source, Israel warned the US about a planned attack on the vessel. The American side had denied the information.  

Shortly before the incident in the Mediterranean Sea, a small fire broke out on the Iranian container ship Shahre Kord. No one on board was hurt. An attack on the Israeli vessel MV Helios Ray preceded this incident. Although there is no direct evidence, it has been speculated that this incident was Israel’s response to the explosion on the Israeli Helios Ray vessel in the Gulf of Oman.

On June 2, 2021, a fire broke out on the Iranian Kharg warship in the Gulf of Oman: efforts to save the ship were unsuccessful, and it sank. The crew of 400 people was rescued. The Iranian side did not make any official accusations, but unofficial assessments suggest that the fire was caused by an Israeli sabotage operation.  

In July 2021, an Iranian drone struck the Israeli oil tanker Mercer Street off the coast of Oman, killing two crew members. The MT Mercer Street tanker was operated by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime, owned by Israeli shipowner Eyal Ofer. 

In early June 2021, The Guardian reported that, according to their sources, “Ships off the coast of Syria have also been targeted by drones. In May, an Iranian freighter delivering oil to the Syrian port of Latakia was hit by a small missile that struck its bridge, killing three crewmen. Both countries pointed fingers at Israel, which has not admitted any role in this shadow war. There have been several hundred of these attacks. They are of a mitigating nature. The goal is to deprive Tehran of its sources of income.” 
 

In March 2026, when the Yemeni Houthis launched a missile strike against Israel, discussions about closing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait resumed. Of course, if they choose to, the Houthis can block traffic through the strait. Currently, hundreds of commercial vessels are bypassing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, opting instead for the longer and therefore more expensive “African” route. On the other hand, there is a view that the Yemeni Houthis are unable to completely block the strait, as they do not have full control over both sides of it.