From BBC News · · 1m 30s
The Houthis just reached the world's oil chokepoint
A frozen Yemeni war has burst back to life at the narrow gate between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
In brief
A frozen Yemeni war has burst back to life at the narrow gate between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. By taking Mokha and the island of Perim, the Houthis now sit on top of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the route Saudi Arabia leans on to export oil. Originally reported by BBC News.
A fast push down the coast
The Houthi advance along Yemen's western coast has moved quicker than almost anyone expected, reopening a war that had sat frozen since 2022.
“The speed of the Houthi advance along Yemen's western coast has taken many by surprise.”
Mokha falls in a day
On Thursday the group seized Mokha, a Red Sea port held by forces aligned with Yemen's internationally recognised government. Those forces pulled out rapidly as the Houthis walked in.
46,000 people on the move
Residents described shops shutting and families packing up, unsure how far the fighting would spread. The UN counts more than 46,000 people displaced.
“Residents spoke of shops closing and families leaving the city.”
Then came the island
On Friday officials said Houthi forces captured Perim, also called Mayyun, a small island sitting directly inside the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Saudi Arabia struck Mokha airport in response.
Both chokepoints at once
Bab al-Mandab is the narrow gate between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. With Hormuz already disrupted by the war with Iran, Saudi oil exports lean hard on this route.
A promise Riyadh doubts
The Houthis say international shipping is safe and their blockade targets Saudi vessels only. The new positions give them the power to change that whenever they like.
“Their advance gives them a much stronger position from which to threaten that shipping if they choose to.”
What matters most
By taking Mokha and the island of Perim, the Houthis now sit on top of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the route Saudi Arabia leans on to export oil.
