The Houthis are moving to seize territory along Yemen's coast to tighten their grip on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital corridor for crude oil shipments, according to Yemen's information minister. The push follows weeks of tanker attacks and strikes on Saudi Arabia's Jazan refinery that have already forced Saudi Arabia to reroute part of its crude oil exports. Traffic through the strait still outpaces the Strait of Hormuz, but greater Houthi control could further threaten a critical global trade route.
The Yemeni Houthis are planning to seize land along the Yemeni coast in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, tightening their grip on the chokepoint. Yemen's information minister, Moammar al-Eryani, told AFP about the plan, and AFP reported that three Houthi sources confirmed it. According to AFP: "working to create the conditions for seizing control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait".
Houthis target Mokha, islands in the Red Sea
Al-Eryani said the group is seeking to establish control over the port city of Mokha, the surrounding coastline, the Hanish islands and the island of Mayuun, which sits inside the Bab el-Mandeb. Taking those territories would significantly strengthen the Houthis' hold over the waterway, according to the Yemeni official.
The Houthis, who control parts of Yemen and are fighting the previous government's forces for full control of the country, earlier this year announced a blockade on Saudi vessels in the Red Sea. That move threatened Saudi Arabia's alternative export route after Iran shut down the Strait of Hormuz in March.
Saudi exports already rerouted
Several Saudi tankers have been struck by the Houthis in the past couple of weeks, prompting shippers to again avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in favor of the longer route around Africa. The Yemeni group has also attacked the Jazan refinery three times in the past month, forcing its closure at the end of July.
As a result, Saudi Arabia was forced to reroute part of its oil exports from Yanbu on the Red Sea to the Suez Canal and the Egyptian port of Sidi Kerir on the Mediterranean, adding time and cost to those shipments. The Houthis have reported carrying out 31 attacks on Saudi targets, including eight tankers, of which five struck vessels in the Red Sea and three in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, according to Anadolu Agency.
Traffic still outpaces Hormuz
Marine traffic around the Middle East is unlikely to normalize soon. Still, far more tankers are passing through Bab el-Mandeb than through Hormuz: Marine Traffic reported 254 confirmed crossings in the week to August 16, up from 238 the previous week, with daily crossings ranging between 27 and 43.
Yet if the Houthis take control of the territories they are targeting, they would gain stronger leverage over both regional and global opponents.
Source: Oilprice.com
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