Along Yemen's western coast, a militia born of civil war has seized control of one of the world's most consequential maritime passages, tipping a fragile regional balance that had held, however uneasily, since 2022. The Houthi capture of Mokha, Dhubab, and the island of Perim places Iran-aligned forces astride the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, transforming a local military advance into a pressure point on global commerce and Saudi power. What unfolds now is not merely a resumption of Yemen's long war, but a reconfiguration of who holds leverage in the Middle East — and at what cost to the people caugh
Houthi territorial gains in Bab el-Mandeb Strait escalate Yemen conflict into full-scale war
Nearly 200 people killed in current escalation; approximately 18,500 displaced, many experiencing repeated displacement; nearly two-thirds of Yemen's population already needs humanitarian aid.