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

Rapid advance of Iran-backed force threatens key alternative shipping route to Strait of Hormuz.

A satellite image of Bab al-Mandeb, gateway to the Red Sea and Suez Canal [File: NASA Worldview/Reuters]

The Houthis have taken control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast, according to reports.

The rebel group seized the last towns on the coast in a rapid advance against the forces of the internationally recognised Yemeni government early on Friday, and has pushed onto islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, government sources and witnesses reported.

list 1 of 3 What’s happening in Yemen and how did we get here?

list 2 of 3 Yemen’s Houthis seize strategic Red Sea city of Mocha

list 3 of 3 Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia could activate defence pact, Pakistan says

The advance strengthens the control of the Iran-backed Houthis over the key shipping route of Bab al-Mandeb, which links the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea.

The route has been an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz , through which about one-fifth of global energy shipments were carried before the war between the United States and Iran began earlier this year.

Houthi fighters reached the coastal town of Mocha at dawn on Thursday, then moved offshore to seize nearby islands, Al Jazeera’s Maha Ali reported from Taiz city.

Yemeni government sources told the Reuters news agency on Friday that Houthi fighters had reached the town of Dhubab, on the coast of Bab al-Mandeb.

Boats carrying fighters reached Mayyun Island – also known as Perim – that sits at the heart of the strait after government forces withdrew, government officials were reported to confirm.

“The Houthis have completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandeb area,” one source told the AFP news agency.

The Sanaa-based Yemen Press Agency, citing field sources, said Houthi forces seized the Al-Omari camp overlooking the strait.

Al Jazeera’s Nabil al-Yousefi, reporting from Sanaa, noted there has been no official announcement by the Houthi government confirming control over Bab al-Mandeb.

Bab al-Mandeb is the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the approach to Saudi oil terminals, offering a route to ship crude to Europe while avoiding Hormuz. Traffic in the Red Sea decreased significantly during the earlier Houthi campaign that targeted shipping there.

“The Houthis have the strong hand now,” reported Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry from the capital, Sanaa. “They have the leverage and they have control of Bab al-Mandeb and the shipping traffic going through the Red Sea.”

As the Houthi advance was reported, the average price of diesel in the US surpassed $6 a gallon and oil prices on Friday were set to close above $100 a barrel for the first time since mid-May.

The International Energy Agency forecast on Friday that global oil supply and demand are likely to fall further this year than previously assumed, with the US-Iran war delaying normal Middle East flows into 2027.

Iran has successfully applied pressure on the US by choking Gulf exports through Hormuz, suppressing energy supplies and increasing prices worldwide.

A member of the Houthi politburo sought on Friday afternoon to allay fears, insisting that international shipping faces “no danger” from the group.

“Freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab are safe and orderly,” Hazem al-Assad told the Al-Araby al-Jadeed news outlet. “There is no cause for international concern, as they face no danger from the Yemeni side.”

Al Jazeera’s Mawry noted that there are few signs that Yemeni government forces are preparing a counteroffensive to push the Houthis back.

However, later reports from Houthi, Saudi and international outlets said Saudi air strikes had hit Mocha airport. There was no immediate report of casualties or damage. Al Jazeera was unable to immediately verify the reports.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement calling for an end to Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Yemen, and urging a resumption of negotiations. It was the first statement on Yemen issued by Tehran since the Houthi seizure of Mocha.

The Houthis, which control most of western Yemen, renewed attacks on Red Sea shipping and the Saudi-backed Yemen government earlier this year in response to the US war on their ally Iran. The flare-up of hostilities in Yemen illustrates the potential for that conflict to escalate across the region.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday spoke by phone with Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir – a key mediator but also close ally of Saudi Arabia – and separately with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. Both calls reportedly focused on mutual coordination and regional stability.

The Financial Times reported on Friday that Oman, which has been negotiating with Iran on a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, is organising a meeting with Gulf states to discuss the plan.

伊朗支持的部队迅速推进，威胁到通往霍尔木兹海峡的重要替代航运路线。

巴卜曼德海峡卫星图像，通往红海和苏伊士运河的门户 [图片来源：NASA Worldview/路透社]

据报道，胡塞武装已经控制了也门整个红海沿岸地区。

据政府消息人士和目击者称，反叛组织于周五清晨迅速推进，占领了沿海的最后几个城镇，并向国际公认的也门政府军推进，占领了曼德海峡的岛屿。

列表 1/3：也门正在发生什么？我们是如何走到这一步的？

也门胡塞武装占领红海战略重镇摩卡（共3条记录，此为第2条）

巴基斯坦称，胡塞武装对沙特阿拉伯发动的3次袭击中的第3次可能触发防务条约。

此次推进加强了伊朗支持的胡塞武装对连接亚丁湾和红海的重要航道曼德海峡的控制。

这条路线一直是霍尔木兹海峡的替代路线，在今年早些时候美国和伊朗之间的战争爆发之前，全球约五分之一的能源运输都是通过霍尔木兹海峡进行的。

据半岛电视台记者玛哈·阿里从塔伊兹市报道，胡塞武装人员于周四黎明时分抵达沿海城镇摩卡，随后向近海转移，占领了附近的岛屿。

也门政府消息人士周五告诉路透社，胡塞武装人员已经抵达曼德海峡沿岸的杜巴卜镇。

据报道，政府官员证实，载有武装人员的船只在政府军撤离后抵达了位于海峡中心的马云岛（又名佩里姆岛）。

一位消息人士告诉法新社：“胡塞武装已经完成了对曼德海峡地区的占领。”

总部位于萨那的也门新闻社援引现场消息人士的话称，胡塞武装占领了俯瞰海峡的奥马里营地。

半岛电视台记者纳比勒·尤塞菲从萨那报道说，胡塞武装政府尚未正式宣布控制曼德海峡。

曼德海峡是红海的南部门户，也是通往沙特阿拉伯石油码头的必经之路，为原油运往欧洲提供了一条绕开霍尔木兹海峡的路线。在胡塞武装早前针对红海航运的军事行动期间，红海的航运量显著下降。

半岛电视台记者优素福·马乌里从首都萨那报道说：“胡塞武装现在占据了上风。他们掌握着筹码，控制着曼德海峡以及途经红海的航运。”

随着胡塞武装推进的消息传出，美国柴油平均价格超过每加仑 6 美元，周五原油价格有望自 5 月中旬以来首次收于每桶 100 美元以上。

国际能源署周五预测，今年全球石油供需可能比之前预期的下降幅度更大，美伊战争将使中东正常的石油流动推迟到2027年。

伊朗通过霍尔木兹海峡切断海湾国家的出口，抑制能源供应，推高全球能源价格，成功地对美国施加了压力。

胡塞武装政治局一名成员周五下午试图消除人们的担忧，坚称国际航运不会面临来自该组织的“任何危险”。

“红海和曼德海峡的航行自由和国际贸易安全有序，”哈泽姆·阿萨德告诉《新阿拉伯报》，“国际社会无需担忧，因为他们没有面临来自也门方面的任何威胁。”

半岛电视台记者马乌里指出，几乎没有迹象表明也门政府军正在准备反攻以击退胡塞武装。

然而，胡塞武装、沙特阿拉伯和国际媒体随后报道称，沙特空袭了摩卡机场。目前尚无人员伤亡或财产损失的报告。半岛电视台未能立即核实这些报道。

与此同时，伊朗外交部发表声明，呼吁沙特阿拉伯结束对也门的封锁，并敦促双方恢复谈判。这是自胡塞武装占领摩卡以来，德黑兰就也门问题发表的首份声明。

控制也门西部大部分地区的胡塞武装，为报复美国对其盟友伊朗发动的战争，于今年早些时候再次袭击红海航运和沙特支持的也门政府。也门冲突的再次爆发表明，这场冲突有可能在整个地区升级。

伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇周四分别与巴基斯坦陆军参谋长阿西姆·穆尼尔通了电话。穆尼尔是重要的调解人，同时也是沙特阿拉伯的亲密盟友。此外，阿拉格奇还分别与沙特外交大臣费萨尔·本·法尔汉·阿勒沙特亲王通了电话。据报道，两次通话都着重讨论了双方协调和地区稳定问题。

《金融时报》周五报道称，阿曼一直在与伊朗就重新开放霍尔木兹海峡的协议进行谈判，目前正在组织与海湾国家举行会议，讨论该计划。