Houthis take control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and key shipping route

Houthi fighters have rapidly expanded their hold along Yemen’s Red Sea shoreline, taking the last coastal towns and pushing onto islands at the mouth of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, according to government sources, witnesses and regional broadcasters. Al Jazeera correspondents reported the group reached Mocha at dawn and then moved offshore to nearby islets; Reuters cited government sources saying Houthi forces reached Dhubab. Officials also reported boats carrying fighters arrived at Mayyun (Perim) island after government units withdrew, and the Yemen Press Agency said the Al-Omari camp overlooking the strait was seized. The advance consolidates Houthi influence over Bab al-Mandeb, the southern gateway to the Red Sea that provides a route to Saudi oil terminals and to Europe while bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. AFP and other outlets quoted sources saying the Houthis have completed their takeover of the area, though Al Jazeera noted there had been no formal Houthi announcement confirming full control. Earlier Houthi campaigns targeting Red Sea shipping had already reduced traffic through the waterway. The moves come amid mounting energy-market pressures. Reporting linked the advance to higher fuel costs: US diesel rose above $6 a gallon and oil prices were set to close above $100 a barrel for the first time since mid-May. The International Energy Agency warned that global oil supply and demand are likely to fall further this year, and said the US-Iran war is delaying a return to normal Middle East flows until 2027. The source material also noted Iran has used disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz to constrain Gulf exports. There were signs of immediate escalation and diplomatic reaction: later reports said Saudi air strikes hit Mocha airport, while Iran’s foreign ministry called for an end to Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Yemen and urged renewed negotiations — Tehran’s first public comment since the seizure of Mocha. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held calls with Pakistan’s army chief and Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister about coordination and regional stability, and the Financial Times reported Oman is arranging a meeting with Gulf states to discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Al Jazeera’s reporting observed few indications that Yemeni government forces were preparing a counteroffensive against the Houthi advance.