Therefore, restoring Mokha and Mayyun, all of Yemen’s Tihama region, and the other sites overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb to the authority of the Yemeni state is not merely a matter of domestic sovereignty, nor should it be viewed through a narrow military lens. It is part of the regional and international security equation. A Yemen that restores its sovereignty over its coastline and waters, and has coast guard, naval, and security forces capable of protecting its maritime domain, does not merely protect itself; it also helps safeguard a vital route that remains open to the world.
