Houthis Gain Control of Yemen's Red Sea Coast, Sparking Global Concerns
The Houthis have gained control of key territories in Yemen's Red Sea coast after a series of sweeping advances against Saudi-backed forces. On Thursday, September 5, Houthi fighters took Mocha, a strategically important port city, and Mayum island, also known as Perim, which lies two miles off the west coast.
The island acts as a natural choke point in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, narrowing the Red Sea channel to just nine miles from the coast of Djibouti. Around one-third of international cargo shipping passes through this strait, making it a crucial route for oil exports in light of the US-Iran conflict.
Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, hailed the Houthi victory as 'resounding' and attributed it to the combination of Iranian might in the Strait of Hormuz and the homegrown resolve of the resistance.