Ibrahim bin Sultan Al-Hashmi, Director of the Media and Communication Department of Qatar's Foreign Ministry, said the world is suffering enough with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and cannot afford to add the Bab al-Mandeb Strait into that equation.
Closing the southern gateway to the Red Sea would be a disaster for the whole world, Al Hashmi said, and urged countries to coordinate their efforts to prevent the blockade of international waterways.
The warning came after Houthi forces seized the islands of Greater Hanish and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, strengthening their position near Bab al-Mandab. The group had previously taken control of the port city of Mokha and Perim Island at the entrance to the strait.
Their advances have heightened concerns over potential disruption to one of the world's key shipping routes linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
