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Iranian, Chinese Ships Navigate Bab el-Mandab with Armed Escort

Bab el-Mandeb Strait from the west as it appeared on Tuesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Bab el-Mandeb Strait from the west as it appeared on Tuesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Iranian, Chinese Ships Navigate Bab el-Mandab with Armed Escort

Bab el-Mandeb Strait from the west as it appeared on Tuesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Bab el-Mandeb Strait from the west as it appeared on Tuesday (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Iranian cargo ship “Golsan” has passed through the Bab el-Mandab Strait with Djiboutian coast guard on Tuesday.
Coastal service members, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat under the conditions of anonymity, described the situation as calm but cautious.
In another incident, the Chinese cargo ship “LINHAI 1” traveled through the strait with armed guards onboard, a precaution against recent Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, Houthi rebels launched missile attacks on two British and American ships, causing concern for international trade as the usually busy passage was nearly empty, except for the Golsan.
Col. Issa Omar Bakri, head of the Djiboutian coast guard, confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that they’ve been aiding and securing many ships passing through the Bab el-Mandab Strait lately.
He mentioned that some ships damaged in Red Sea attacks were repaired in Djibouti and continued their journeys safely.
The Bab el-Mandab Strait, controlled by Yemen and Djibouti, is a crucial global passage connecting the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea and beyond.
This 30-kilometer strait is divided by Yemen’s Perim Island into two channels: the smaller Alexandrian Channel along Yemen’s coast and the larger Mayyun Channel near Africa.
It’s a vital trade route, with about 10% of global shipping passing through.
Moreover, Bab el-Mandab ranks third in energy resource transit after the Malacca and Hormuz Straits.
Amid Houthi attacks on shipping, Asharq Al-Awsat is considered the only media outlet reaching the strait from the west.
Setting Sail
As the dawn call to prayer sounded from the Hamoudi Mosque, one of Djibouti's oldest, Asharq Al-Awsat made its way to the port in the cool morning air, the temperature a comfortable 24 degrees Celsius.
After all preparations were done, two powerful 3000-horsepower engines roared to life at exactly 6 a.m., propelling the crew towards the Bab el-Mandab Strait. The trip takes about three hours each way, cruising at 26 knots, covering over 12 nautical miles.
Djibouti’s ports are bustling with merchant ships and tankers, some unloading goods from Asia, while others seek refuge here due to security concerns. Over 21,000 ships pass through the strait annually, carrying more than 6 million barrels of crude oil daily.
During the journey, Asharq Al-Awsat passed by Maskali Island, known for its tourist spots. Marine signs guide ships to Djibouti’s ports, ensuring safe navigation through these busy waters.
Obock, Djibouti's Coastal Hub
On the way to Bab el-Mandab, Asharq Al-Awsat briefly stopped at the port city of Obock. Several ships were unloading cargo, likely from nearby Yemeni ports like Mokha. These journeys on somewhat old ships usually take about four hours by sea.
Obock’s close proximity to Yemen’s waters makes it a hotspot for smugglers ferrying migrants to Yemen and beyond to Saudi Arabia. As a result, Djibouti’s coast guard patrols are particularly active in this area.
According to coast guard officials, patrols in the Bab el-Mandab often start from Obock port due to its strategic location, either to monitor smuggling or assist ships in need.
Armed Guards on Ships
Continuing our journey, radar screens showed a Chinese cargo ship, LINHAI 1, arriving from the Red Sea headed towards Djibouti’s ports.
Notably, the ship’s data revealed it had armed guards onboard, indicating the tense situation in the region.
According to maritime records, the vessel, sailing under China’s flag, docked at Djibouti’s ports on Feb. 6.
It measures 159 meters in length, 25 meters in width, and was built in 2011, en route to the Arabian Sea.
Closing the Bab el-Mandab strait is turning into a commercial nightmare for passing ships, adding an extra 6,000 nautical miles to their journey and increasing shipping and insurance costs.

 

 

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Arab World

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Praises Saudi Arabia’s Continued Support

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council meeting in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council meeting in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Praises Saudi Arabia’s Continued Support

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council meeting in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council meeting in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council renewed its appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its continued support of the Yemeni people, the Saudi Press Agency said on Saturday.

The council praised the Kingdom’s leadership under Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for their sincere and steadfast positions in backing Yemen. It also commended Saudi Arabia’s dedicated efforts to enhance security and stability, strengthen state institutions, and provide generous humanitarian and development assistance.

The remarks were made during a meeting of the Presidential Leadership Council held on Friday in Riyadh.

The meeting reviewed local developments across various levels, including progress toward restoring recovery and normalizing conditions in the temporary capital, Aden, and in the liberated governorates.

Discussions also focused on the ongoing efforts of local authorities, as well as security and military agencies, to stabilize the situation and advance institutional performance.

Arab World

Lebanese Army Chief Faces Labeling Dispute During Washington Visit

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal during his visit to Washington (Lebanese Army Command)
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal during his visit to Washington (Lebanese Army Command)
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Lebanese Army Chief Faces Labeling Dispute During Washington Visit

Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal during his visit to Washington (Lebanese Army Command)
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal during his visit to Washington (Lebanese Army Command)

What was meant to be a routine visit by Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal to Washington to discuss military support and aid coordination turned into a political flashpoint, after a brief meeting with US Senator Lindsey Graham ignited a dispute over whether the army chief would describe Hezbollah as a “terrorist organization.”

The controversy was sparked by a brief meeting with hardline Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who publicly said he cut the meeting short after Haykal declined to use the designation in what he called the “context of Lebanon.”

What happened in the Graham meeting

In a post on X, Graham said: “I just had a very brief meeting with the Lebanese Chief of Defense General Rodolphe Haykal. I asked him point blank if he believes Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. He said, “No, not in the context of Lebanon.” With that, I ended the meeting.”

“They are clearly a terrorist organization. Hezbollah has American blood on its hands. Just ask the US Marines,” he added.

“They have been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by both Republican and Democrat administrations since 1997 – for good reason.”

“As long as this attitude exists from the Lebanese Armed Forces, I don’t think we have a reliable partner in them.”

“I am tired of the double speak in the Middle East. Too much is at stake,” Graham concluded.

The reaction went beyond expressions of displeasure. Some US coverage suggested Graham effectively raised questions about the “usefulness” of continuing support for the Lebanese army if such a gap persists between the US position and Lebanon’s official language.

Haykal’s answer raises its cost in Washington

Inside Lebanon, the issue is not limited to the stance on Hezbollah. Still, it extends to the army’s role as a unifying institution in a country whose political balance rests on sectarian arrangements and deep sensitivities.

Adopting an external designation, even a US one, in official language by the head of the military could be interpreted domestically as a move that risks triggering political and sectarian division or drawing the army into confrontation with a component that has organized political and popular representation.

That explains why Lebanese voices, including some critics of Hezbollah, defended the logic that “the state does not adopt this classification.” Therefore, the army commander cannot formally do so.

In other words, Haykal sought to avoid two conflicting languages: Washington’s legal and political framing of Hezbollah, and the Lebanese state’s language, which walks a fine line between the demand for exclusive state control over arms and the avoidance of reproducing internal fractures.

US State Department position

Amid the controversy surrounding the Graham meeting, an official US position emerged on Tuesday through the US Embassy in Beirut, welcoming the visit and focusing on the core US message.

The statement said that “the Lebanese Armed Forces’ ongoing work to disarm non-state actors and reinforce national sovereignty as Lebanon’s security guarantor is more important than ever.”

The wording was notable because it separated two levels: continued US reliance on the army as a state institution, and, in practice, linking that reliance to the issue of disarming non-state actors.

The phrase avoids direct naming but, in the Lebanese context, is widely understood to refer primarily to Hezbollah.

The visit’s broader track

Despite the political awkwardness, Haykal’s visit was not reduced to a single meeting. He held senior-level military talks, including meetings with US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine.

According to a statement from a Joint Chiefs spokesperson, the meeting “reaffirmed the importance of enduring US defense relationships in the Middle East.”

The visit coincided with broader discussions in Washington on support for the Lebanese army and plans to extend state authority, as international reports spoke of Lebanon entering new phases of a plan to dismantle illegal weapons structures in the south and north.

The army commander’s visit had initially been delayed for reasons that add another layer to understanding Washington’s sensitivity to the military’s language.

In November 2025, sources quoted the US State Department as saying Washington canceled scheduled meetings with the Lebanese army commander after objecting to an army statement on border tensions with Israel, prompting the visit to be postponed to avoid a pre-emptive political failure.

Arab World

Egypt Steps Up Efforts to Support Gaza Administration Committee After Entry Stalled

Displaced Palestinians inspect the damage after Israeli aircraft targeted a five floor house last night, in Khan Younis southern Gaza Strip on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians inspect the damage after Israeli aircraft targeted a five floor house last night, in Khan Younis southern Gaza Strip on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
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Egypt Steps Up Efforts to Support Gaza Administration Committee After Entry Stalled

Displaced Palestinians inspect the damage after Israeli aircraft targeted a five floor house last night, in Khan Younis southern Gaza Strip on February 6, 2026. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians inspect the damage after Israeli aircraft targeted a five floor house last night, in Khan Younis southern Gaza Strip on February 6, 2026. (AFP)

Egypt is intensifying efforts to back the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, hoping it can begin operating inside the enclave to implement commitments under the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, which started about two weeks ago but has yet to take shape on the ground.

Experts told Asharq Al-Awsat that those Egyptian efforts, through phone calls and meetings with international partners, are focused on two main objectives: pushing for the deployment of police forces and an international stabilization force on the one hand, and securing a gradual Israeli withdrawal on the other, increasing pressure on Israel to move the agreement forward.

A member of the administration committee said in a brief phone statement to Asharq Al-Awsat, speaking on condition of anonymity, that there is still no specific date for entering the enclave.

In the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed Cairo’s full support for the work of the committee headed by Dr. Ali Shaath.

He made the remarks during a dialogue session of the Arab-Islamic committee on Gaza with Slovenian Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Bahrain attended the meeting. Abdelatty stressed the importance of the committee’s role in managing the daily affairs of Gaza’s residents and meeting their basic needs during the transitional phase.

He underscored the need to ensure the continued flow of humanitarian and relief aid into the enclave, as well as the formation and deployment of an international stabilization force to monitor the ceasefire.

Abdelatty reiterated his stance during a phone call on Friday with British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The Gaza committee, established under the ceasefire agreement, operates under the supervision of the Board of Peace, chaired by US President Donald Trump. The committee has been holding meetings in Cairo since it was announced last month and has yet to enter Gaza.

Ahmed Fouad Anwar, a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs and an academic specializing in Israeli affairs, said Egypt is making significant efforts to facilitate the committee’s mission as quickly as possible and enable it to operate.

He said this would limit Israeli obstacles, increase pressure on Israel, and place it under the obligations set out in the plan, particularly withdrawal from Gaza. This would counter intense pressure from Tel Aviv to accelerate the disarmament of Hamas without implementing its Gaza agreement commitments.

Palestinian political analyst Abdel Mahdi Motawea said Israel objected not only to the committee’s work but even to its emblem.

He noted, however, that Israel is not the only party hindering the committee. Hamas and other factions want to impose conditions on the committee’s work.

He warned of serious concerns that the committee could be marginalized, stressing that Egypt’s extensive efforts to support it are crucial at this critical stage of the Gaza agreement.

Hamas announced days ago that it was ready to hand over management of the enclave to the committee, while Israel continues to obstruct it.

Anwar expects the committee to begin operating in the enclave soon if Egypt’s efforts and those of international partners succeed and Washington responds positively.

He warned that the committee's failure would threaten the ceasefire agreement.