It is likely that these events will further increase the impact of the war in the Middle East on international trade, a few months after Iran blocked the Strait of Hormuz. The latter last Friday welcomed the advance of its Yemeni allies.
After a week-long offensive that killed hundreds of people, government officials reported that the Houthis now control half of Yemen at the Bab el Mandeb Strait – the southern gateway to the Red Sea and, accordingly, to the Suez Canal.
A local official of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government said on Friday that the Houthis “have completed the takeover of the Bab el Mandeb area and Perim Island.”
A government military official later reported that the group also captured the Greater and Lesser Khani Islands – the last two islands in the narrow waterway they did not yet control – and the entire adjacent Red Sea coast.
“Everything that was under our control on the western coast has collapsed,” added the military official.
An eyewitness told AFP news agency that armed men “are being deployed along the Bab el Mandeb coast and are driving military vehicles.”
By capturing the islands, especially Perim in the middle of the strait, the Houthis have increased their ability to attack Saudi tankers, which have been targeted since July.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has relied on the Red Sea since Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz cut off its cargo shipments through the Persian Gulf.
Advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, Mohammad Mokhber, on Friday congratulated the Houthis on their “resounding victory.”
“Now the Iranians control not only (…) the Strait of Hormuz but also another strategically most important point in the Middle East,” said Farea al Muslimi, a researcher at the Chatham House think tank, to AFP.
A spokesperson for the Houthi forces said that after the recent victories, navigation through the Bab el Mandeb Strait is safe for everyone except Saudi Arabia.
“Maritime navigation is safe for all companies except Saudi ships, which are already banned from sailing,” said Yahya Saree in a statement.
“Apocalyptic atmosphere”
As reported by the United Nations (UN) migration agency on Friday, the Houthi offensive claimed more than 500 lives, and about 46,000 people were forced to leave their homes.
Read more It’s a real cloud of bacteria: here’s why it’s worth closing the toilet lid before flushing
This is part of renewed hostilities in the divided Yemen, a brutal civil war that began when the group took control of the capital Sana’a in 2014.
Moreover, this week the Houthis carried out the largest missile and drone attack in years against their longtime enemy Saudi Arabia – Yemen’s northern neighbor. These attacks caused fires at oil facilities and injured 73 people.
Before the offensive in the Red Sea, the Houthis already controlled a large part of northern Yemen.
Recently, they attacked government-controlled territories in the Al Hudaydah and Taiz provinces and assaulted the coast. On Thursday, they captured the port city of Al Mukha and Zukaro Island, located north of Bab el Mandeb.
Mohamed, 46, who fled Al Mukha at night, told AFP that there was an “apocalyptic atmosphere” in this historic city.
“Dangerous conflict”
Although Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes and ordered troop reinforcements from Aden, where the internationally recognized Yemeni government is based, it failed to prevent the Houthis’ advances.
Houthi media reported that on Friday two Saudi strikes hit Al Mukha airport, and a local official said six rockets of unknown origin also hit the city’s seaport.
“I think Saudi Arabia tried everything it could to avoid this war, but I don’t think they have any more options,” said F. al Muslimi from Chatham House.
The United Nations Security Council met on Thursday to discuss the conflict with Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg, who urged “every member of this institution to actively invest in containing” what could become a more dangerous conflict.
Due to ongoing clashes, the war could reignite, during which hundreds of thousands of Yemenis have died and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises has unfolded.
After capturing Sana’a and forcing the government to retreat, the Houthis have been fighting the Saudi-led coalition since March 2015, until a UN-brokered truce was declared in 2022.
Read more This city near Lithuania was named by experts as one of the most desirable destinations for 2027
