Iran-backed Houthis seize key Red Sea islands, raising oil supply fears
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Yemen's Houthi militants have captured two strategic islands in the Red Sea. The seizure strengthens the Iran-backed group's control over a vital shipping route, as fears grow of a new global oil supply crisis.
The islands are Greater and Lesser Hanish. They lie near the Bab al-Mandab strait, a narrow waterway that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Millions of barrels of oil pass through this strait every day.
The capture is the latest move in the group's rapid advance along Yemen's Red Sea coast. Houthi forces recently took the port of Mokha and Perim island, both in the Bab al-Mandab strait.
Analysts warn that the Houthis could now threaten oil tankers and cargo ships passing through the region. This could disrupt global oil supplies and raise energy prices.