Houthis Seize More Red Sea Islands, Tighten Maritime Grip

Aden: Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have captured more strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, Yemeni government and Houthi officials said on Monday, further strengthening their hold over one of the world's most important maritime shipping corridors. The rebels deployed fighters on the islands of Greater Hanish and Lesser Hanish, located roughly 160 kilometres north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to two government officials and a Houthi source who spoke on condition of anonymity to Associated Press. The Houthis moved in after hundreds of government-allied forces withdrew from the archipelago. The advance builds on gains made the previous week, when the rebels seized the port city of Mokha along with Mayun Island, positioned directly inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, from Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. The strait serves as a critical alternative shipping route to the Strait of Hormuz, and the Houthis' expanding control raises fresh concerns for global trade, with the corridor linking roughly 12 percent of world commerce between Europe and Asia. Fighting in Yemen escalated further on Sunday, with government forces striking Houthi positions along the Red Sea coast while the rebels fired projectiles into Saudi Arabia, which backs the internationally recognised Yemeni government. In response to the setbacks, Yemeni officials have pledged to send additional forces to the Red Sea coast, with one official privately describing the loss of Mokha as a "painful" defeat. The offensive marks a significant escalation in the broader regional conflict, extending the impact of the West Asian war on international shipping months after Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.