Houthis reportedly seize Yemen’s Red Sea coast near Bab al-Mandeb
The reported advance could increase Houthi leverage over a strategic shipping route, but control of Bab al-Mandeb has not been officially confirmed.
Iran-backed Houthi forces have reportedly seized Yemen’s remaining Red Sea coastal towns and nearby islands after government forces withdrew, according to Yemeni officials, witnesses and reporting by Al Jazeera, Reuters and AFP.
The reported advance reached al-Makha, also known as Mocha, and Dhubab. Houthi fighters were also reported to have taken the Al-Omari camp overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and landed on Mayyun Island.
An anonymous local government official told AFP that the Houthis had completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandeb area. However, Al Jazeera reported that there had been no official Houthi announcement confirming control of the strategic strait.
Bab al-Mandeb is the southern gateway to the Red Sea and provides an approach to Saudi oil terminals supplying Europe. The Red Sea has also been used as an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping traffic declined during an earlier Houthi campaign targeting vessels.
The extent of Houthi control over the coast, islands and shipping traffic remains unclear. The reported advance comes as oil prices were set to close above US$100 a barrel and the International Energy Agency forecast further declines in global oil supply and demand.
