Major Red Sea strait falls under full Houthi control as Yemeni forces retreat

The Saudi-backed Yemeni government suffered a major blow Sunday when it withdrew from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, relinquishing full control to the Iran-backed Houthi terror group.Yemen’s internationally recognized government had been fighting with the Houthis over control of the Strait for six weeks, with its forces retreating to focus on their main base in Aden.“This ​step is taken based on the priority of securing the capital, Aden, and the neighboring governorates, as well as strengthening the front lines and addressing existing threats,” the Saudi-backed coalition said in a statement.The move represents a major win for the Houthis, who continue to threaten vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where Saudi Arabia had moved the bulk of its oil shipments to after Iran’s attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.The strait is also a key gateway out of the Red Sea, where $1 trillion worth of goods pass through each year.

Along with the disruptions in the Red Sea, the Houthis have also kept up their missile and drone barrages on Saudi Arabia, creating a headache for the kingdom as it looks for an off-ramp from the reignited Yemeni civil war.The Houthis allegedly fired two ballistic missiles and three drones at the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Sunday.

The weapons were intercepted by the Saudi-backed coalition, officials said.The attacks have been escalating in recent weeks against Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern province, with a strike last week damaging a building belonging to Saudi Aramco.A humanitarian crisis is currently under way in Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, which the Houthis have nearly surrounded as the terror group continues to make gains.Aid supplies are unable to enter the city, nor are civilians able to leave, officials said.

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