Saudi-backed pro-government Nation Shield Forces deploy in Al-Kadha, west of Taiz province, Yemen, Sept. 10, 2026. (Credit: AFP)
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have seized control of the country's entire Red Sea coast, a military official from the internationally recognized government told AFP on Friday, consolidating the group's control of the vital waterway.
The official said that all territory under government control "on the western coast has fallen," after the Houthis seized the strategic Mayyun Island and the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait as they seek to choke off Saudi oil exports.
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have seized control of the country's entire Red Sea coast, a military official from the internationally recognized government told AFP on Friday, consolidating the group's control of the vital waterway.
The official said that all territory under government control "on the western coast has fallen," after the Houthis seized the strategic Mayyun Island and the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in the Bab al-Mandeb strait as they seek to choke off Saudi oil exports.
