Houthis control key shipping route after gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast
Rapid advance of Iran-backed force threatens key alternative shipping route to Strait of Hormuz.
The rebel group seized the last towns on the coast in a rapid advance against the forces of the internationally recognised Yemeni government early on Friday, and has pushed onto islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait, government sources and witnesses reported.
The advance strengthens the control of the Iran-backed Houthis over the key shipping route of Bab al-Mandeb, which links the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea.
The route has been an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of global energy shipments were carried before the war between the United States and Iran began earlier this year.
As the Houthi advance was reported, the average price of diesel in the US surpassed $6 a gallon and oil prices on Friday were set to close above $100 a barrel for the first time since mid-May.