Houthis seize Red Sea ports, escalate attacks on Saudi Arabia
Iran-backed rebels have captured key strategic positions near Bab al-Mandeb and launched new waves of missile and drone strikes, threatening global oil shipping and complicating US regional strategy.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have executed a sudden military advance along Yemen's western coast, seizing the strategic port of Mokha and the islands of Perim and Zuqar near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait—the world's critical southern gateway to the Red Sea. The offensive has come alongside a fresh wave of attacks on Saudi Arabia: on September 15, the Houthis fired dozens of missiles and drones at a military airbase in Khamis Mushait, targeting aircraft hangars, radar systems, and ammunition depots. Earlier in the month, attacks on Saudi energy facilities had wounded over 70 people and ignited fires at several installations. The escalation has displaced nearly 94,000 people across Yemen and shattered a four-year truce in the country's civil war.
The Houthis' territorial control now covers a chokepoint that governs roughly a quarter of global container trade and a critical alternative to the Strait of Hormuz—itself largely closed by Iran's control. With the Strait of Hormuz nearly shut down by the wider Iran war, Saudi Arabia had begun routing crude oil through the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb; shipping through the strait had collapsed by about 60% since the Houthis' prior attacks in late 2023 but had partially recovered this year. The Houthis' new positions threaten to curtail that activity again, forcing Saudi oil operators toward even longer routes around Africa via the Suez Canal or overland pipelines.
The Houthis say they are retaliating for Saudi airstrikes in Yemen, claiming they targeted military bases in the kingdom. Saudi authorities have responded with counterstrikes, with the Saudi-led coalition reporting 54 air assaults on Houthi positions over 24 hours. The escalation occurs amid a broader Iran war that has destabilized shipping lanes and energy supplies worldwide and has prompted Gulf Arab states to postpone planned talks with Iran.
Coverage has focused heavily on the security dimensions—territorial gains, missile counts, casualties—with less clarity on the underlying military balance or which side controls what sections of the coast. The Houthis claim rapid territorial expansion; Saudi sources report tactical gains elsewhere. The actual state of ground control remains unclear from public reporting.
How could this affect you
Traced by who's actually in the path of this — not everyone is.
Likely
Global shipping firms and energy traders
Houthi control of Bab al-Mandeb and Perim Island could allow them to impose new restrictions or attack vessels transiting the strait, forcing shippers toward longer Cape of Good Hope routes and raising insurance costs and fuel surcharges
Likely
European nations dependent on imported natural gas and oil
With Hormuz largely closed and Bab al-Mandeb now threatened, alternative energy corridors are constrained; renewed Houthi threats could further squeeze global supply and raise energy prices
Possible
US military planners in the Middle East
Houthi territorial gains and improved positioning along shipping lanes could limit US freedom of maneuver and require new counter-measures; escalation could widen the broader Iran conflict
Likely
Saudi Arabia's economy
Attacks on energy infrastructure and military bases, combined with restricted shipping routes, could damage oil output and export revenues if sustained
Sources
Every claim here traces back to reporting you can read yourself.
