Houthis near control of Yemen’s Bab el-Mandeb coast as fighting escalates
Yemeni military sources say the Houthis are nearing control of key Red Sea coastal cities amid renewed clashes with Saudi-backed forces.
Sanaa, Yemen. Iran-aligned Houthi forces are nearing complete control of key coastal cities along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemeni government military sources said on Thursday, as fighting with Saudi-backed forces intensifies.
Strategic coastal advances
The sources said the Houthis were close to taking full control of coastal cities including the historic port of Mocha and Dhubab, which lie directly along the strait, as they seek to control Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast.
Bab el-Mandeb, also known as the Gate of Tears because of its hazardous navigation conditions, is the southern outlet of the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti and Eritrea. The waterway is a major route for crude oil and fuel from the Gulf heading to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal or Egypt’s SUMED pipeline, as well as commodities bound for Asia, including Russian oil.
Fighting and shipping risks
Recent fighting between the internationally backed Yemeni government’s Saudi-supported allies and the Houthis has escalated, opening a second theatre in the conflict involving Iran that threatens global energy supplies.
A UN-brokered truce in 2022 largely halted years of war, but remains fragile. The Houthis control Yemen’s most populous areas and much of the north.
The narrow passage is strategically important for Gulf oil producers, including Saudi Arabia. Its blockage would isolate them from key shipping routes after Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime energy route between Asia and Europe.
Saudi alerts and reported strikes
The Houthis said on Wednesday that Saudi strikes hit the provinces of Jawaf, Marib and Saada near the Saudi border, as well as Taiz in the south and al-Hodeidah on the Red Sea coast. Saudi Arabia did not confirm the strikes.
Saudi civil defence authorities issued an all-clear on Thursday after an emergency alert was declared in the southwestern province of Khamis Mushait for the fourth time in 24 hours amid clashes with the Houthis.
The Saudi-led coalition said on Tuesday that at least 73 people had been wounded in four southern Saudi cities, including Khamis Mushait, in recent Houthi attacks.
This news item was generated automatically by Cyprus Inform from publicly available materials. Report an error →