Lightning Houthi advance in Yemen may bring dangerous new dimension to Iran war
The capture by the rebels of a stretch of Yemen's strategic coastline is the group's most impressive military coup for several years.
The Houthis' lightning advance across the southern reaches of the Tihamah – Yemen's arid coastal plain – appears to have taken most observers by surprise.
Until recently, the anti-Houthi coalition known as the National Resistance held significant territory along Yemen's Red Sea coast. In a matter of days, much of this has fallen to the Houthis.
According to some estimates, the Iranian-backed rebels have captured as much as 130km (81 miles) of the country's strategically important coastline.
"They were able to control what was going in and out of the Bab al-Mandab and up towards Suez without having these territorial gains," Yemen expert Iona Craig told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Friday.