The Iran-allied Houthi rebel group has reached the Hanish Islands in the Red Sea after seizing the port city of Mocha, two officials from the internationally recognized Yemeni government said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reports.
The capture of Mocha represents a significant strategic shift that could threaten the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world's most important shipping routes, the agency also notes.
Military action between the Houthis and Yemeni government forces, supported by Saudi Arabia, has intensified in recent days, with The Shiite group has turned its attention to controlling Yemen's long coastline, rather than focusing on the north, thereby taking a stronger position that allows it to disrupt maritime trade.
The Houthis launched attacks on Hanish, pushing government forces south towards the port town of Dubab, located right on the shores of the strait and bordering Perim Island, Yemeni government officials said.
The officials added that the eventual capture of Dubab and the island is key to establishing control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
For his part, Mohammed Abdulsalam, a spokesman for the Houthis, assured today that shipping and international trade in the Red Sea and the strait would not be disrupted.
In a post on the social network Ex, Abdulsalam stressed that "Yemen does not threaten in any way shipping" and that the current military operations of the Houthis are more defensive in nature and limited to previously announced targets. The spokesman added that the operations will be suspended as soon as the attacks on Yemen and the blockade are stopped.
The escalation of fighting between the forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, an ally of Saudi Arabia, and the Houthis has opened a second front of military action in the Iran conflict, which threatens global energy and raw material supplies.
To avoid the Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia exports millions of barrels of oil from the port of Yanbu, located on the northern coast of the Red Sea. The eventual establishment of control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by the Houthis threatens to cut off the oil monarchy's supplies to Asia.
The Shiite group has already declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter.
A UN-brokered ceasefire in Yemen in 2022 largely halted the years-long civil war, but has not led to a lasting settlement to the conflict. The latest fighting threatens to escalate the situation into a full-scale conflict again.