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Iran-backed Houthi militia also take mainland Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab
reached the strategic island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday, four Yemen i government sources told Reuters, moving to tighten their grip on a vital global shipping route in the wideninggovernment said its forces had pulled out of Perim and that the Houthi s had also taken the mainland Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab, which faces the island.
If the Houthis gain control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the, the world’s largest oil exporter and a close US ally, has relied on the Red Sea route since the Iran conflict in effect closed Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil used to flow. A wickedly inventive political ad is airing in Texas as midterm elections loomIran confirmed on Friday that its representatives and those of Iraq and the Gulf Arab states would meet in Oman on Monday to resume discussions on safe commercial shipping routes in the Strait of Hormuz.
The Financial Times originally reported the planned meeting. In a further potentially significant development for Riyadh, satellite imagery showed smoke on Thursday in the vicinity of Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, which has become a vital means for the kingdom to divert its crude exports from Hormuz. The Iran-backed Houthi militia has pushed out forces allied with the Yemeni government, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, to seize the city of Mocha/Mokha.
Image: New York TimesAramco has used the East-West pipeline to increase crude flows from Saudi Arabia’s eastern coast to the Red Sea after US-Israeli air strikes on Iran began six months ago, prompting Tehran to shut the Strait of Hormuz. Vessels recorded transiting the Strait of Hormuz fell to seven on Thursday from 11 the previous day, preliminary ship-tracking data showed on Friday, well below the 10-day average of 10.
The Houthis’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said on Telegram that maritime navigation remained safe for all shipping except Saudi vessels subject to a previously announced ban.
“We will continue to enforce blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation until the aggression stops and the blockade on our people is lifted,” he said on Friday, referring to Saudi attacks on Yemen. Yemeni government forces indicated they would try to retake areas captured by the Houthi militants in their lightning offensive this week along the Red Sea coastline.
They announced they would deploy weapons and aircraft to eliminate any movement of the “terrorist” Houthi militias in strategic areas, including the road leading to the coastal city of Mocha,Military spokesman colonel Majed al-Nazili called on civilians to avoid using the route between the city of Taiz and Mocha and steer clear of equipment belonging to the Houthis, mountain fighters who withstood years of devastating Saudi air strikes during Yemen’s civil war. Reuters reported on Thursday that the dramatic Houthi advance down Yemen’s Red Sea coast this week came with direct guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seeking to open a new front in Tehran’s war with the US, according to Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources.
Iran told the Houthis last week to escalate their attacks on Saudi Arabia and promised more funding, weapons and senior officers to help them do so, two Iranian sources said. While Iran describes the Houthis as allies, it publicly denies giving them military direction, saying they are “not a proxy”.called Trump twice on Thursday and urged him to launch strikes against the Houthis, Axios reported, citing two US officials.
Trump rejected the request, and US officials said the administration does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time, the report said. Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Axios report. A regional source said Trump was considering what actions to take and that the US was helping with targeting the Houthis.
According to Axios, the US is worried about the rapidly escalating conflict in Yemen and is stepping up support for Riyadh while seeking to avoid direct military involvement. – ReutersCapturing the confusion of the aftermath of 9/11 on cameraFF Senator paid €16,700 in travel expenses while sick at home for eight monthsBouncy castle play linked to largest outbreak of common superbug in IrelandIrish Open second round sees Lowry score course record while McIlroy struggles on putts
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