Exclusive information obtained by Sheba Intelligence indicates that the Houthi movement is preparing for a naval maneuver on Yemen’s western coast that simulates the closure of the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

According to the information, the preparations are concentrated in Al-Durayhimi district, south of Hodeidah, within a coastal-agricultural belt that includes Al-Mashaqnah, Al-Nukhaylah/Khor Al-Nakhlah, and locally identified farms around Kadf and Al-Habajah.

The information indicates that modern drone-launch platforms have been deployed in farms in the Kadf Rabid area of Al-Habajah. Missiles and drones have also reportedly been moved from Al-Mashaqnah and Kadf farms toward coastal sites where the maneuver is expected to take place.

The same information points to a dense presence of personnel affiliated with the Houthis’ naval joint operations in Khor Al-Nakhlah in Al-Durayhimi. Foreign officers specialized in the redeployment of missile and drone bases are also reportedly present in the area.

The planned maneuver is said to simulate a scenario for closing Bab al-Mandab and appears to be part of contingency preparations in case instructions are issued by the joint operations room linked to Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance.”

The reported activity in Al-Durayhimi is significant because the area lies south of Hodeidah city, close to the Red Sea coastline and within the broader maritime zone leading toward Bab al-Mandab. The use of farms and agricultural areas for drone platforms and missile movements suggests an effort to conceal assets, disperse launch capabilities and prepare flexible coastal positions.

The new information also fits with previous Sheba Intelligence reporting on Houthi efforts to review and redistribute missile and drone assets from the western coast and Hodeidah toward alternative mountainous and desert areas, including Al-Jawf governorate.

Those earlier reports indicated that a technical cell linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Houthi “Jihad Council” had been studying alternative sites in Al-Jawf and other areas. The objective was to prepare hardened operations rooms and flexible launch platforms that could be used if Houthi missile and drone infrastructure near the coast came under attack.

The latest preparations in Al-Durayhimi suggest that the Houthis may be pursuing a dual-track approach: moving part of their missile and drone infrastructure toward inland mountainous and desert areas, while maintaining forward coastal positions for training, maneuvering and maritime pressure.

This pattern may also extend beyond Yemen’s western coast. Previous Sheba Intelligence reports have pointed to intensified Houthi activity on the opposite side of the Red Sea, particularly in Somaliland, as well as signs of possible coordination or cooperation with Al-Shabaab in Somalia.

Taken together, these developments suggest that Houthi maritime planning is no longer limited to the Yemeni coastline. It appears to involve a broader Red Sea posture that combines missile and drone redeployment inside Yemen with attempts to build operational depth across the African side of the Red Sea.

The possible involvement of unmanned or explosive naval boats is also an important part of the emerging picture. The current preparations may not be limited to aerial drones and missiles, but could also include readiness for naval boats, especially unmanned surface vessels, as tools for disrupting navigation or increasing pressure on maritime traffic.

The maneuver does not necessarily mean that an immediate decision has been made to close Bab al-Mandab. However, it indicates that the Houthis are rehearsing a high-impact scenario that could be activated if regional escalation produces new instructions from the wider Iran-aligned network.

For the Houthis, such a maneuver would serve several purposes: testing coordination between naval, missile and drone units; preparing rapid redeployment from farms to coastal positions; assessing the readiness of drone-launch platforms near the coast; and signaling that Bab al-Mandab remains a potential pressure point in any broader regional confrontation.

The main concern for regional and international maritime security actors is not only whether the Houthis can fully close Bab al-Mandab. The greater risk is that they could create enough uncertainty, disruption and perceived threat to affect shipping decisions, insurance costs and naval deployments in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

The latest information therefore points to a shift in Houthi Red Sea preparations: from isolated attacks on shipping toward rehearsing wider disruption scenarios linked to missile redeployment, drone-launch platforms, naval assets and possible cross-Red Sea coordination.