At the narrow throat of the Red Sea, where the fates of global commerce and regional power have long been intertwined, the Houthis have seized Perim Island and the port of Mokha, completing their grip on Yemen's western coastline and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. In a single week, a movement backed by Iran has reshaped the geography of world trade, sending oil prices upward and forcing a reckoning in capitals from Riyadh to Washington. The United States, pressed by Saudi Arabia for military intervention, chose restraint — offering intelligence rather than force — while tens of thousands of Yemeni
Houthis seize Red Sea island, tighten grip on critical shipping route
At least 46,000 people displaced in Yemen since fighting escalated; hundreds killed and thousands more displaced in the past week alone.