Yemen’s Houthi rebels have expanded their control along the Red Sea coast, capturing the port city of Mokha and several islands near the Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to ABC News Australia, citing The Associated Press and other sources. The advance places the group near a major maritime chokepoint through which about 12 per cent of global trade passes during peacetime and has raised concerns about threats to Saudi Arabia’s oil exports.
The Houthis have fired at Saudi oil facilities and tankers, while an attack on Saudi Arabia’s east-west pipeline was blamed on Iran-backed militias in Iraq, the report says. The developments have pushed up global fuel prices and rattled markets. Shipping company Windward recorded a fall in traffic through Bab el-Mandeb from 35 daily transits before the Houthi advance to 25 afterward, although traffic later recovered and reached 45 transits on Sunday.
The group’s territorial gains have intensified fighting in a civil war that began after the Houthis captured Sanaa and much of northern Yemen in 2014. Saudi Arabia intervened the following year, and the conflict continued until a ceasefire in 2022. Fighting has recently been heavy around Marib, an oil-rich central province and military hub for Saudi-backed forces, while the western city of Taiz also remains under threat. The Houthis appear to be looking toward Yemen’s oil-rich east, the report says.
The renewed offensive has also worsened the humanitarian situation. The United Nations humanitarian office estimates that 125,000 people have fled their homes, while the war has killed more than 150,000 people and at times brought Yemen close to famine. The same UN office said recent fighting killed eight civilians and wounded 32 others. Yemen’s Saudi-backed government reported that the Houthis had killed about 150 civilians since September 3, while Saudi Arabia said debris from an intercepted Houthi drone killed one person and wounded two in the kingdom.
Houthi political bureau member Mohammed al-Bukhaiti told The Associated Press that the group’s actions were a response to what he called Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Yemen. Analysts cited by the report said the Houthis currently appear focused on Saudi-linked vessels but could broaden their definition of such targets. Regional mediators, including Oman, Egypt and Turkey, have pursued talks, though the report says a settlement may depend on progress in the wider confrontation between Iran and the United States. Officials from Turkey and Pakistan said Saudi Arabia had not requested support under its new defence pact.