Yemeni Houthis seize several more islands in the Red Sea

Yemeni Houthis have seized several more islands in the Red Sea

Yemeni Houthis have seized several more strategic islands in the Red Sea. ABC News reported this, citing representatives of the government and the Houthis.

The seizure of the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands occurred at a time when the Yemeni government military is preparing for a counteroffensive. The Houthis have strengthened their control around the Bab al-Mandab Strait. For Saudi Arabia, this strait is an alternative sea route to Hormuz for oil exports.

The Houthis' new achievements will further increase their ability to threaten Saudi Arabia's oil shipments transported through the Red Sea. The situation will also affect global oil supplies and prices. This, in turn, could give Iran, which supports the Houthis, an advantage in a war with the US.

The Houthis have deployed their fighters to the Hanish Islands, located 160 kilometers north of Bab al-Mandab. The seizure of the islands occurred after the Houthis captured the port city of Mocha and Mayun Island, located in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, last week. According to military sources, the Houthis also took control of Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea as a result of rocket strikes and a land attack launched using boats.

The Houthis' advance has left them just 32 kilometers away from the US military base in Djibouti, located on the other side of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. They are seizing the islands with almost no resistance from the forces of the internationally recognized government of Yemen.