en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bab-el-Mandeb

This sentence compresses two different colonial entities into one.

From 1862 to 1896, the French possession in the area was the Obock Territory and Dependencies, not French Somaliland. The Obock Territory article states that it existed from 1862 to 1896 and was succeeded by French Somaliland. Separately, Britannica’s history summary notes that France had a coaling station at Obock from 1862, and that French Somaliland was later renamed the French Territory of the Afars and the Issas in 1967.

So the accurate sequence is:

1. 1862–1896: Obock Territory / Obock and Dependencies
2. 1896–1967: French Somaliland
3. 1967–1977: French Territory of the Afars and the Issas

That makes the claim that the area was "1862–1967 as French Somaliland" factually incorrect.

The article's statement appears to combine details from two different events.

• On May 3, 2024, Reuters reported that the Houthis said they would target ships heading to Israeli ports in any area they could reach, specifically mentioning the Mediterranean Sea.
• On June 8, 2026, Reuters reported that the Houthis said they would ban Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea.
• Bloomberg's June 8, 2026 coverage added that this statement did not amount to a ban on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

So the article's exact claim — "On May 3, 2026" and that "the strait" was declared "closed to all Israeli shipping" — does not match the documented reporting. The real May 3 event was in 2024 and concerned targeting Israel-bound ships; the later 2026 event was a Red Sea ban announcement, not a dated May 3, 2026 closure of Bab el-Mandeb itself.