Nawal Al-Maghafi
Senior International Correspondent
The speed of the Houthi advance along Yemen's western coast has taken many by surprise.
On Thursday, the group seized Mokha, the strategically important Red Sea port that had been controlled by forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Contacts I have been speaking to in and around Mokha described government forces pulling out rapidly as the Houthis entered. Residents spoke of shops closing and families leaving the city, uncertain about how far the group intended to advance. The UN says more than 46,000 people have now fled amid the latest fighting.
But the Houthis have not stopped at Mokha.
On Friday, officials told the Associated Press that Houthi forces had captured Perim, also known as Mayyun, a small but strategically important island sitting directly inside the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Saudi Arabia has responded by striking Mokha airport.
That changes the strategic picture considerably.
Image source, EPA/ShutterstockThe Houthis escalated fighting last week and have now reportedly taken over a strategic island in the Red Sea
Bab al-Mandab is the narrow gateway between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, and it's one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has already been severely disrupted by the war with Iran. Saudi Arabia has therefore become increasingly dependent on its Red Sea route to export oil.
The Houthis insist international shipping remains safe and say their blockade is directed specifically at Saudi vessels. But their advance gives them a much stronger position from which to threaten that shipping if they choose to.
And that appears to be what is causing such alarm in Riyadh: a conflict that had largely been frozen since 2022 has suddenly reached one of the most strategically important waterways in the world.