Arya News - Rapid advance of Iran-backed force threatens key alternative shipping route to Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthis have taken control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast, according to reports.
The rebel group seized the last towns on the coast in a rapid advance against the forces of the internationally recognised Yemeni government early on Friday, and has pushed onto islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, government sources and witnesses reported.
Recommended Stories
list of 3 items list 1 of 3 What’s happening in Yemen and how did we get here? list 2 of 3 Yemen’s Houthis seize strategic Red Sea city of Mocha list 3 of 3 Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could activate defence pact, Pakistan says end of list The advance strengthens the control of the Iran-backed Houthis over the key shipping route of Bab al-Mandeb, which links the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea.
The route has been an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz , through which about one-fifth of global energy shipments were carried before the war between the United States and Iran began earlier this year.
Houthi fighters reached the coastal town of Mocha at dawn on Thursday, then moved offshore to seize nearby islands, Al Jazeera’s Maha Ali reported from Taiz city.
Yemeni government sources told the Reuters news agency on Friday that Houthi fighters had reached the town of Dhubab, on the coast of Bab al-Mandeb.
Boats carrying fighters reached Mayyun Island – also known as Perim – that sits at the heart of the strait after government forces withdrew, government officials were reported to confirm.
“The Houthis have completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandeb area,” one source told the AFP news agency.
The Sanaa-based Yemen Press Agency, citing field sources, said Houthi forces seized the al-Omari camp overlooking the strait.
In a statement posted on X by the Houthis’ military spokesman, Brigadier-General Yahya Saree, he said the operation resulted in the expulsion of Saudi-backed forces from six districts covering a total area of 5,400 square kilometres (2,100sq miles), and the striking of seven military brigades comprising 38 brigades, with hundreds killed, captured or wounded.
Al Jazeera’s Nabil al-Yousefi, reporting from Sanaa, noted there has been no official announcement by the Houthi government confirming control over Bab al-Mandeb.
Leverage
Bab al-Mandeb is the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the approach to Saudi oil terminals, offering a route to ship crude to Europe while avoiding Hormuz. Traffic in the Red Sea decreased significantly during the earlier Houthi campaign that targeted shipping there.
“The Houthis have the strong hand now,” reported Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry from the capital, Sanaa. “They have the leverage, and they have control of Bab al-Mandeb and the shipping traffic going through the Red Sea.”
As the Houthi advance was reported, the average price of diesel in the US surpassed $6 a gallon ($1.59 per litre) and oil prices on Friday were set to close above $100 a barrel for the first time since mid-May.
The International Energy Agency forecast on Friday that global oil supply and demand are likely to fall further this year than previously assumed, with the US-Iran war delaying normal Middle East flows into 2027.
Iran has successfully applied pressure on the US by choking Gulf exports through Hormuz, suppressing energy supplies and increasing prices worldwide.
A member of the Houthi politburo sought on Friday afternoon to allay fears, insisting that international shipping faces “no danger” from the group.
“Freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab are safe and orderly,” Hazem al-Assad told the Al-Araby al-Jadeed news outlet. “There is no cause for international concern, as they face no danger from the Yemeni side.”
Iranian officials praise Houthi advance
Ebrahim Azizi, the head of Iran’s parliamentary national security commission, praised the Houthis after their offensive, stating in a post on X: “In an era where some regional rulers trade sovereignty for empty promises, Yemen stands alone against imperial hegemony on behalf of the entire region.”
He described Yemen as “unbowed” despite facing a Saudi-imposed blockade for a decade.
“Yemen’s defiance serves as proof that sovereignty is not for sale,” Azizi said.
He warned that Iran’s allies will respond, saying: “Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Iraqi Resistance will unveil their decisive response at the appointed hour as well.”
Separately, Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, congratulated the Houthis on their “resounding victory”.
“Iran’s might in the Strait of Hormuz and the homegrown resolve of the resistance have driven the US and its allies into a tactical and strategic impasse,” he added.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday issued a statement calling for an end to Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Yemen, and urging a resumption of negotiations. It was the first statement on Yemen issued by Tehran since the Houthi seizure of Mocha.
Escalation
Al Jazeera’s Mawry noted that there are few signs that Yemeni government forces are preparing a counteroffensive to push the Houthis back.
However, later reports from Houthi, Saudi and international outlets said Saudi air strikes had hit Mocha airport. There was no immediate report of casualties or damage. Al Jazeera was unable to immediately verify the reports.
Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, told Al Jazeera that in the past 48 hours, it has become clear that the Houthis are united and operating with a clear objective, whereas their opponents are highly fragmented.
“We’ve been under an umbrella of narratives being pushed, particularly by the Emiratis, but also partially by the Saudis, that suggest there is a very strong, united, cohesive front line against the Houthis being built,” Krieg said.
The reality is very different, as “what we are seeing now is a picture of a highly fragmented anti-Houthi front, where different patrons have bought their loyalties through money, where people and also militias have been assembled to basically compete over domestic constituencies” in southern Yemen “without actually ever focusing on the Houthis in the north,” he added.
The Houthis, which control most of western Yemen, renewed attacks on Red Sea shipping and the Saudi-backed Yemen government earlier this year in response to the US war on their ally Iran. The flare-up of hostilities in Yemen illustrates the potential for that conflict to escalate across the region.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday spoke by phone with Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir – a key mediator but also close ally of Saudi Arabia, and separately with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. Both calls reportedly focused on mutual coordination and regional stability.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that Oman, which has been negotiating with Iran on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, is organising a meeting with Gulf states to discuss the plan.