Yemen’s Houthi forces have taken control of nearly the entire western Red Sea coastline, according to reports on Friday, extending their reach to territory bordering the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints.
The advance places the Iran-backed group in command of a coastal corridor that funnels a large share of global oil and container traffic between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Ships passing through the strait connect the Suez Canal route to markets across Asia, Europe and beyond.
The Bab al-Mandab Strait, roughly 30 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, sits between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African coast. Vessels moving crude, refined fuel and consumer goods rely on the passage to avoid far longer voyages around southern Africa.
Control of the shoreline gives the Houthis a firmer position over shipping lanes they have targeted repeatedly during the conflict. The group has launched drone and missile attacks on commercial vessels in the area, prompting many shipping firms to reroute traffic around the Cape of Good Hope.
Those diversions have added days to transit times and raised freight and insurance costs. Analysts have warned that any tightening of control near the strait carries consequences for oil prices and the movement of goods along one of the most heavily used trade arteries linking Asian producers to Western consumers.
The Houthis have steadily expanded their footprint along Yemen’s western seaboard through the war. Earlier gains included the capture of key coastal facilities, part of a pattern of advances that has strengthened their grip on the Bab el-Mandeb corridor and surrounding ports.
The strait remains a focal point for naval powers monitoring the region. International forces have maintained a presence in nearby waters in response to earlier attacks on merchant shipping.
The full extent of Houthi control and the response from Yemen’s internationally recognised government and its regional backers were not immediately confirmed.