Yemen's Iranian-Backed Houthis Seize an Island in a Key Strait, Opening a New Front in the Iran War
The takeover by Iran-backed rebels threatens a shipping lane that carries much of Saudi Arabia’s oil, with shipping through the strait down about 60%.
- On Friday, Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured Mayyun Island, a strategic location at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, completing their push to control the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
- Saudi Arabia relies on the 28-kilometer-wide Bab al-Mandeb channel for oil transit as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, but renewed Houthi threats have curtailed that activity, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence.
- A senior military official with Yemen's government blamed "lack of coordination" between Yemen's army and allied militias for the loss of Mokha, which Houthis seized Thursday.
- Over 46,000 people have fled the surge in fighting, with the U.N. migration agency reporting Friday that "overnight, large numbers of people were reportedly seen leaving Mokha with their belongings."
- Crude prices soared above $100 a barrel this week, giving Tehran leverage, as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Saudi officials discussed diplomatic efforts Thursday to "restore stability.
15 Articles
15 Articles
Iran-backed Houthis have taken over key island along Bab el-Mandeb strait
The Iranian-backed Houthi militants have seized a key island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, as the group expands its control along Yemen’s western coastline. Officials with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government confirmed that Houthi forces reached Perim Island, also known as Mayyun, and seized […]
Bowen Island Undercurrent
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthis seize an island in a key strait, opening a new front in the Iran war
CAIRO (AP) — Yemen ’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured a strategic island at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, two officials said Friday, opening a new front in the Iran war and further threatening Saudi oil exports through one of the worl
Houthi-Saudi Arabia crisis explained: Why Yemen's Red Sea coast has become the latest flashpoint in the Middle East
The Houthi-Saudi crisis is entering a dangerous new phase as Yemen’s Red Sea advances, Iranian support and AI-assisted missile development converge around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint.
In the midst of rising tensions, the Houthis had moved towards the strategic strait of Bab al-Mandeb in recent days. On Friday, these pro-Iranian Yemeni fighters finally seized an island dividing this crossing point into two, according to a government official. They assured that there was "no reason to worry" about the freedom of navigation. - "Armed combatants": the Yemeni Houthis seize an island in the heart of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait (Intern…
Mohammad Mokhber greeted on Friday the advance to Yemen of the Houthis fighters supported by Tehran, after their capture of a key island in the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
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