Houthis have seized control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast and captured three strategic islands, in a lightning offensive that cemented their hold on a vital shipping corridor linking Europe and Asia.
The developments are likely to deepen the impact of the US war with Iran on international commerce, as Saudi Arabia shut down an oil pipeline following attacks, and after months of Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Following a week-long offensive that has left hundreds dead, government officials said the Houthis seized the Yemeni side of the Bab al Mandeb Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
A local official with Yemen’s government said on Friday that the Houthis had “completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandeb area and Mayyun Island”.
A government military official later reported the group had also seized Greater and Lesser Hanish, the last two islands in the narrow waterway not under their control, as well as all of the neighbouring Red Sea coastline.
“Everything that was under our control on the western coast has fallen,” the military official added.
Oil prices have soared past $100 a barrel this week, while average US diesel prices topped $6 for the first time on Friday.
The Houthi offensive has killed more than 500 people, according to sources on both sides.
It has also displaced about 46,000 people, the UN migration agency said on Friday.
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