Houthis Seize Strategic Island at Red Sea Entrance

Yemen's Houthi rebels have captured the strategic island of Mayun, located at the southern entrance to the Red Sea and within the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. This move has opened a new front in the Iran war and threatens Saudi oil exports through one of the world's key shipping lanes.

The capture of Mayun is seen as the Houthis' biggest territorial gains in years, which could boost Iran's strategy of driving up world oil prices to pressure the United States. The Saudi air force struck the airport in the nearby port city of Mokha that the Houthis seized on Thursday, but there were no reports of damage or deaths.

The Houthis have been attacking Saudi shipping on the Red Sea since declaring a blockade in July and have also targeted oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia. The rebels said they acted in response to the kingdom's yearslong blockade of Houthi-held parts of Yemen.

A senior military official with Yemen's internationally recognized government told AP that they were stunned by the slow Saudi response, saying it gave the Houthis 'a priceless opportunity'. He also blamed 'lack of coordination' between Yemen's army and multiple allied militias for the Houthis' gains.