Iran war live: Saudi Arabia and Houthis trade strikes over Bab al-Mandeb

BREAKING: Saudi Arabia and the Houthis trade strikes over the Bab al-Mandeb chokepoint, with the Houthis accusing Riyadh of 129 strikes in 48 hours, as Trump says the Houthis have asked Washington not to intervene.

One hundred and twenty nine strikes in forty eight hours. That's what the Houthis are accusing Saudi Arabia of, as the two sides trade fire over Bab al-Mandeb, the narrow strait where the Red Sea meets the Gulf of Aden.

This is the chokepoint here, barely twenty miles wide at its tightest, and a huge share of global shipping has to pass through it. Houthi forces pushing towards that coastline is exactly the scenario shipping insurers have been dreading, and now Riyadh is hitting back hard.

Then there's the Washington angle. President Trump says the Houthis have actually called the White House and asked the United States not to intervene in their fight against Yemen's internationally recognised government. Read that again. They're asking America to stay out while they close in on one of the most strategically sensitive stretches of water on the planet.

Whoever holds Bab al-Mandeb holds a hand on the throat of world trade. Right now, that grip is being contested with missiles.

This is Sara White, reporting for HIT.