The Iran-backed Houthis on Friday took control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline and captured three strategic islands, dramatically expanding their control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a critical maritime passage connecting Europe and Asia, reported AFP.
The takeover followed a week-long offensive in which hundreds of people were killed and gives the Houthis control of the Yemeni side of the strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the route leading toward the Suez Canal. The development comes months after Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted shipping in the region.
A local official from Yemen's Saudi-backed government said Friday that the Houthis had "completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayyun Island". A Yemeni military official subsequently said the group had also captured Greater and Lesser Hanish, the two remaining islands in the narrow waterway that had not been under Houthi control, along with the entire adjacent Red Sea coastline.
"Everything that was under our control on the western coast has fallen," the military official said, as quoted by AFP.
Mayyun Island, located in the center of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, is particularly significant because its capture strengthens the Houthis' ability to target Saudi tankers. The group has been attacking Saudi vessels since July.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has increasingly depended on the Red Sea for shipments after Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz restricted its traditional route through the Gulf.
Despite the takeover, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said maritime traffic through Bab al-Mandab would remain open, with an exception for Saudi vessels.
"Maritime navigation is safe for all companies except Saudi ships, which have already been banned," Saree said in a statement.
The latest territorial gains came one day after the Houthis captured the Red Sea port city of Mokha. Earlier in the week, the group also launched attacks against four cities in southern Saudi Arabia: Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. The attacks wounded 73 civilians, including women and children.
The rapid Houthi advance has also prompted Saudi Arabia to seek greater US involvement. Axios reported that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called President Donald Trump twice on Thursday to request US strikes against the Iran-backed group.
Trump rejected the request, according to two US officials cited by Axios. MBS initially called Trump to update him on the deteriorating situation as Houthi forces advanced toward Mokha and Saudi-backed Yemeni forces retreated. Several hours later, he called again and urged the president to authorize American military action.
Washington again declined. Instead, a US official said the United States would provide Saudi Arabia with intelligence on Houthi positions and targeting information.
Around 200 US military personnel are already in Saudi Arabia providing non-kinetic support, according to the official, in line with an earlier CNN report.
The Saudi embassy in Washington and the White House declined to comment.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Rosh Hashanah in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)