Houthis control key shipping route after gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast

The Iran‑backed Houthi fighters have taken full control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the Bab al‑Mandeb islands that connect the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea. The advance, which reached the town of Mocha and the island of Mayyun, gives the group control over a vital shipping lane that serves as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of global energy traffic passes. Yemen’s government has not yet announced a counter‑offensive, while Saudi air strikes hit Mocha airport amid growing tensions.

Source: Original source