Houthis Claim Full Control of Yemen’s Red Sea Coastline

Sanaa,
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have seized full control of the country’s entire Red Sea coastline. According to Al Jazeera, the rebel group launched a rapid advance against the internationally recognised Yemeni government’s forces on Friday morning, capturing the last remaining coastal towns and pushing into islands within the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The advance further tightens Houthi control over the strategically vital Bab el-Mandeb strait, which links the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and has served as an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported that the Houthis also claimed complete control of the al-Umari garrison and Zuqar Island in the Red Sea.
Government sources told Reuters that Houthi fighters reached the coastal town of Dhubab and advanced to Mayun (Perim) Island, located at the centre of the strait. There was no immediate comment from the Yemeni government or Saudi-backed forces, though reports of intense fighting along Yemen’s western coast continue to emerge.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council strongly condemned a Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia and expressed solidarity with Riyadh, warning that Yemen could be sliding back toward full-scale conflict for the first time since the 2022 ceasefire agreement.