Yemen government forces withdraw from area near Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Houthis in control

Yemeni government forces have announced their withdrawal from an area near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, handing control to the Houthis. The Houthis claim they attacked Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, posing a new threat to global shipping through the strategic chokepoint. This development raises concerns about the isolation of Gulf oil producers from their main shipping routes.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is crucial as it connects Asia to Europe via the Suez Canal, hosting the world's most important and busiest seaborne trade routes. Yemen's Houthis initiated an attack on the Saudi Ras Tanura oil refinery, prompting the government's redeployment towards Aden, Yemen's capital. The Houthis, who dominate the north, including the capital Sanaa and populous regions, are intensifying pressure on the southern areas still under government control.

The government forces had launched a military campaign in October to recapture the coastal areas from the Houthis, who had pushed south in September. This intensifies the volatile front in the broader US-Israeli war on Iran, with the Houthis continuing to target Saudi Arabia, a key US ally and the world's largest crude exporter.

The escalating conflict has disrupted flights and oil supplies, as the Houthis have struck Saudi ports, airports, and state oil company facilities, including Yanbu, Red Sea's oil export hub. In response, Saudi Arabia has targeted Houthi targets in Yemen, further exacerbating Yemen's ongoing civil war since 2014. Yemen, already facing one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, is witnessing intensified fighting around Taiz, a city hosting half of the 300,000 internally displaced people, with aid supplies unable to reach and civilians unable to leave.