
Houthis seize Red Sea islands in lightning offensive
Latest advance against Saudi-backed forces cements Yemeni rebels’ control over vital shipping artery and roils energy markets

Latest advance against Saudi-backed forces cements Yemeni rebels’ control over vital shipping artery and roils energy markets

The escalation could disrupt global trade routes, heighten regional instability, and strain international relations, impacting economic dynamics.

The Iran-backed militia’s ground offensive has reached the Bab al-Mandab, a Red Sea strait that is a choke point for global trade.

Abu Dhabi–Red Sea begins with one flight a week, rising to two a week from 25 October 2026. The route is operated by the Airbus A320 with 8 seats in...

Rapid advance of Iran-backed force threatens key alternative shipping route to Strait of Hormuz.
Diesel prices in the U.S. have hit a painful new milestone, $6 a gallon as, reports said, Yemen's Houthis took a key Red Sea port city.

The advance raises the threat to shipping near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a waterway that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden to global markets.

A Houthi advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast could help push gas prices up even more as the Iran-backed group also launches attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities.

A Houthi advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast could help push gas prices up even more as the Iran-backed group also launches attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities

The rebel group took over Yemen's port of Mokha, an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea, Houthi and Yemeni officials said. Mokha is about 50 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The capture could give Iran another potential point of leverage in its war with the US

Yemen’s Houthis seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday as their offensive against Saudi-backed government forces intensified. Saudi Arabia launched dozens of airstrikes over the past 24 hours, the Houthis said, after the Iran-backed group carried out attacks on Saudi territory that wounded dozens of people.

Houthi control of a Red Sea port brings Tehran closer to claiming another critical waterway.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebel group on Thursday took over Yemen’s port city of Mokha, an area vital to controlling shipping through the Red Sea, Houthi and Yemeni officials said. Mokha is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a waterway that connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and through which about 12% of the world’s goods are typically shipped. FRANCE 24's Nick Rushworth reports.

Iran-backed Houthi forces seized Yemen's Mocha port and advanced toward Bab el-Mandeb, threatening Red Sea shipping as Brent crude surged past $106.

Mokha's capture would bring the Iran-backed group closer to controlling the Bab al-Mandab Strait waterway, a key shipping route.

Crude jumps above $107 a barrel amid concerns over Middle East conflict and out-of-control government borrowing Nervous investors across big economies have been dumping government bonds, driving up the cost of borrowing, as surging oil prices amplified fears about rising inflation. The cost of a barrel of oil jumped 6% to above $107 on Thursday amid concerns that advances by Houthi rebels along the Red Sea coast in Yemen could choke off Saudi crude exports. Continue reading...

The Houthi takeover of Mokha comes amid intensified fighting that has sparked fears of a return to civil war. The Red Sea has served as a key alternative to the Strait of Hormuz amid the US war with Iran.

The Houthi control of Mokha heightens risks to global trade routes, potentially escalating shipping costs and impacting international markets.

The Houthis' latest offensive is meant to replicate Iran's Hormuz blockade in the Bab el-Mandeb, with Red Sea coastal towns and islands in the crucial waterway their top military objectives.