Yemen’s Houthis have captured the strategic Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in the southern Red Sea, tightening their grip around the Bab al-Mandeb shipping route, government and Houthi officials told the Associated Press.
The seizure came as Saudi-backed government forces were trying to regroup and respond to the Houthis’ fast-paced advances along Yemen’s western coast.
According to two government officials and a Houthi official who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, the Houthis sent fighters to the islands, which are 160 kilometres north of Bab al-Mandeb.
The latest advances follow a series of Houthi strikes on Saudi oil installations and shipping in the Red Sea, stoking fears about the world's energy supply and prices.
