From the narrow strait of Bab al-Mandeb to the oil fields of Yemen's interior, the Houthis are tracing an arc of territorial ambition that now threatens to redraw the strategic map of the Arabian Peninsula. Having spent years anchoring themselves along the Red Sea coast, they are turning eastward toward the hydrocarbon reserves that underpin regional economies and global energy flows. This expansion arrives at a moment of uncertain American commitment, leaving Saudi Arabia to reckon with a shifting security landscape it once considered settled. The world watches a local conflict reach toward c