Houthis reach Hanish Islands, bolster presence near Bab Al-Mandab: Reuters

Houthi forces have reached the Greater and Lesser Hanish Islands in the Red Sea, in a move that, according to a government military source, is aimed at tightening their grip on Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and increasing their influence near the Bab Al-Mandab Strait.

Reuters quoted government military sources as saying that the Houthis have arrived on the two islands, noting that the group’s efforts to control the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast would strengthen their hold over Bab Al-Mandab, one of the world’s busiest and most strategically contested maritime passages.

The Houthis had previously seized the city of Mocha, which overlooks the Red Sea at the strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait. The city lies 75 kilometers north of the strait and about 100 kilometers west of Taiz. Mocha holds strategic importance due to its location on the Red Sea coast, its proximity to Bab Al-Mandab, and its history as a renowned global coffee export port.

Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad Al-Alimi warned against viewing any attempt to alter the military situation near Bab Al-Mandab as solely a Yemeni affair, stressing that the strait’s significance as a vital international passage means any threat to it would directly impact the Red Sea, the Suez Canal, and global trade.

Al-Alimi said the Houthis’ push toward the western coast reflects, in his view, Iran’s efforts to give the group the ability to influence Bab Al-Mandab and the Red Sea, allowing Tehran to shift pressure onto the region, global trade, and markets.