Houthis report control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast as Saudi pipeline is shut
Yemeni government officials said Houthi forces had seized the remaining islands around the Bab al-Mandab strait, while Saudi Arabia suspended its East-West oil pipeline after reported attacks.
Iran-aligned Houthi forces have reportedly seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast, according to officials from the country’s internationally recognised government, consolidating their position around the Bab al-Mandab strait.
The reported gains include Mayyun Island and the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, which government officials said were the last islands in the strait outside Houthi control. The claims were reported by France 24 but were not independently verified in the supplied material.
The Bab al-Mandab links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and routes towards the Suez Canal, making the reported advance significant for regional security and maritime access. The Houthis said navigation remained safe for shipping companies other than Saudi vessels, which they said remained subject to a previously announced blockade. There is no evidence in the supplied material that international shipping has been disrupted.
Saudi authorities shut the East-West oil pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions after several attacks on Thursday morning, an energy ministry official told the Saudi Press Agency, according to France 24. The official said the pipeline was stopped as a precaution and that the attacks caused several injuries. The supplied accounts do not establish who carried them out.
The territorial developments follow earlier Houthi gains around Perim Island and the port city of Mokha. The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said at least 46,000 people had been displaced since fighting between Houthi and pro-government forces intensified the previous week.
