AMERICANALMANAC (Alan Benson) - Iran-backed Houthis seize strategic Red Sea island, threatening global oil shipments
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have captured a strategic island at the mouth of the Red Sea, a move that hands Tehran-linked forces potential leverage over one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints, and puts Washington in a bind. Houthi fighters took control of Mayun island, which sits inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the […] The post Iran-backed Houthis seize strategic Red Sea island, threatening global oil shipments appeared first on American Almanac .
Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have captured a strategic island at the mouth of the Red Sea, a move that hands Tehran-linked forces potential leverage over one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints, and puts Washington in a bind. Houthi fighters took control of Mayun island, which sits inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. A senior military official with Yemen's internationally recognized government confirmed the seizure, as did a Houthi official. The capture came alongside Houthi gains on the mainland, including the port city of Mokha, where rebels also seized a compound that had housed United Nations staff. The strait is no minor waterway. Roughly 12 percent of the world's goods…Open