Houthis tighten grip on key Red Sea shipping route

Photo — Serg Alesenko / Pexels

Iran-backed Houthi rebels are rapidly expanding their control along Yemen’s strategic Red Sea coastline, in what multiple outlets describe as their most significant military gains in years.[3][4][10][15] Reports indicate that Houthi fighters have captured Perim, a small but crucial island that sits astride one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints, as well as the key port city of Mokha, which overlooks shipping lanes used for global oil and goods transport.[3][10][15] This advance directly threatens Saudi Arabia’s oil export routes and broader international trade, with at least one major Saudi pipeline already reported struck by projectiles as regional tensions escalate.[2][4][7] The development comes amid wider Gulf and Middle East frictions, including rising oil prices and intensified confrontation involving Iran and U.S.-aligned states, making the Houthi gains on Yemen’s coast a potential trigger for broader military and economic fallout.[4][6][12][15]

Sources: Reuters, BBC News, Al Jazeera, CNN, NBC News, AP News, NewsNow, Netscape News