# Houthis enter US ‘kill box’ after seizing Red Sea ‘cork,’ former Pentagon official warns

https://mins.news/en/item/56958

- Fox News, 2026-09-13 22:52 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.foxnews.com/world/houthis-enter-us-kill-box-after-seizing-red-sea-cork-former-pentagon-official-warns

> Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Sept. 11, opening a new front at a vital global shipping chokepoint. Former Pentagon official Morgan Murphy called the island a “cork” in the Red Sea but warned that concentrating Houthi forces there leaves them vulnerable to overwhelming U.S. firepower. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly urged Donald Trump to authorize strikes, but Trump declined direct intervention.

## Stories

- [Houthi Saudi Red Sea Conflict](https://mins.news/en/topic/houthi-yemen-saudi-red-sea-conflict-2026-08) — Markdown: https://mins.news/en/topic/houthi-yemen-saudi-red-sea-conflict-2026-08.md

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- [Red Sea nations watch as Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb strait](https://mins.news/en/item/56704) — Al Jazeera, 2026-09-13
- [Yemen: Fighting escalates around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait](https://mins.news/en/item/56601) — France 24, 2026-09-13
- [Iran-backed Houthis seize Perim Island. What’s next?](https://mins.news/en/video/55257) — CNN, 2026-09-11