According to Sina Finance, Yemen's Houthi movement said on September 23 that more than 400 merchant ships had recently passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, despite ongoing fighting near the key waterway linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

According to Sina Finance, citing Xinhua News Agency, the Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah TV reported that 408 merchant ships passed through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from September 11 to 21, including 196 sailing north toward the Red Sea and 212 sailing south toward the Gulf of Aden. The report said the ships included container vessels and that international shipping remained normal and safe except for Saudi ships. It also said the figure was higher than the 393 merchant ships recorded from September 1 to 10, when 199 sailed north and 194 sailed south. The report added that other vessel-tracking data showed traffic through the strait has fluctuated since the latest escalation in Yemen, with daily transit numbers falling sharply at some times. It said the Houthis have intensified attacks on government forces and announced a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen's government. It added that the Houthis have seized strategic locations including the port city of Mokha and Perim Island, while Yemen's government said on the 11th that the Houthis had taken control of the country's entire western coast and advanced into Lahij province in the south.