Houthi forces have swept through the last government-held stretch of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline and taken control of the entire coast after an 18-hour offensive, Al Jazeera reported.
The advance came after government forces pulled back from Mocha, allowing Houthi fighters to sweep south with little resistance and take Dhubab and Murad, which was described as the last coastal town still in government hands.
Houthi forces had also reached Dhubaba, near the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Reuters said.
According to multiple news agency reports, Houthi naval forces then moved offshore, capturing Mayyun Island in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and pushing into Zuqar Island, where fighting was still ongoing.
The moves give the Yemeni movement control of a strategically vital stretch of coastline and bring them closer to controlling the Bab al-Mandeb, a key maritime chokepoint linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden.
