The Houthis launched an attack on Thursday to seize areas bordering the key Bab al-Mandab strait, a military source told French media.
The assault reportedly killed 13 members of Yemen’s government forces.
“According to an initial toll, 13 government troops—including two officers—were killed,” the source said. Another source said most of those killed were on the front lines between the port city of Mokha and the inland city of Taiz, while the others were killed in clashes near the Red Sea coast.
The development comes after Yemen’s information minister, Moammar al-Eryani, warned last month that the Houthi militia was plotting to seize the Bab al-Mandab coast. Such territorial gains could give the Iran-backed rebels greater ability to threaten one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes and disrupt Saudi oil exports. It could also expand the ability of Iran and its regional allies to exert pressure around a second critical Middle Eastern maritime chokepoint alongside the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran and its Houthi allies could simultaneously threaten maritime traffic at two critical gateways linking Gulf energy producers with global markets. For Saudi Arabia, greater Houthi control along the strait would also increase risks to Red Sea oil exports and complicate Riyadh’s efforts to secure alternative export routes that reduce its dependence on Hormuz. (AFP)
