Houthis Seize Full Yemeni Red Sea Coast, Control Bab al-Mandeb Strait

Iran-backed Houthi forces have completed a rapid takeover of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline, seizing the port of Mocha and islands controlling the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a critical alternative shipping route to the Strait of Hormuz. The advance comes amid the ongoing US-Iran war, with oil prices surpassing $100 a barrel and Saudi Arabia now striking Houthi positions in response. This gives Iran's regional network leverage over a second major global energy chokepoint, deepening a widening Middle East conflict involving Israel's adversaries, Gulf states and the risk of direct great-power confrontation.