ERBIL () - Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have tightened their control around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after seizing the port city of Mocha and the strategically located Mayyun Island, while Reuters reported that Iranian weapons, funding and military advice helped the group mount its rapid offensive along Yemen's Red Sea coast.
The developments have increased concern over one of the world's most important commercial waterways at a time when maritime traffic and energy markets are already under severe pressure from the Iran-US war and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
Reuters reporters Parisa Hafezi, Mohammed Ghobari and Timour Azhari reported Thursday that the Houthi advance down Yemen's western coastline came with direct guidance from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, citing Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources.
Five military sources aligned with Yemen's internationally recognized government told Reuters that Revolutionary Guards personnel had directed the offensive along the Tihama coastal plain, beginning with intense rocket attacks.
Two Iranian sources also told Reuters that Tehran had urged the Houthis last week to intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia and had promised additional weapons, funding and senior military personnel.
Iran publicly denies directing the Houthis militarily and rejects descriptions of the group as an Iranian proxy.
A third Iranian official cited by Reuters offered a more qualified account, saying Tehran had held meetings with allied groups, including the Houthis, but that the decision to move on Mocha had been made by the Houthis themselves.
That official nevertheless acknowledged that the operation benefited Iran by placing upward pressure on oil prices and increasing economic pressure on the United States and Saudi Arabia.
Mocha and Mayyun Shift the Strategic Picture
The Houthi seizure of Mocha, a major port near the southern Red Sea, was followed Friday by the capture of Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, which sits directly inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
reported Friday, citing AFP, that Houthi fighters reached the island by boat after government forces withdrew.
A local government official said the takeover effectively completed Houthi control of the immediate Bab el-Mandeb area.
The Associated Press also confirmed the seizure through a senior Yemeni government military official and a Houthi official.
AP correspondent Samy Magdy reported from Cairo that Mayyun lies about 3.5 kilometers off Yemen's western coast and occupies a strategically important position at the entrance to the Red Sea.
The Bab el-Mandeb connects the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and, through the Suez Canal, global shipping routes toward Europe.
AP reported that roughly 12% of global goods normally pass through the strait, underscoring the economic importance of any disruption there.
The capture of Mocha and Mayyun therefore gives the Houthis greater leverage over a waterway already made more important by disruption in Hormuz.
Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes on Mocha's airport, according to a Houthi broadcaster cited by AP. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Iran Praises Advance, Houthis Seek to Reassure Shipping
Despite mounting international concern, the Houthis insisted Friday that their territorial gains did not threaten commercial navigation.
Hizam al-Assad, a member of the political bureau of Ansar Allah, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed in remarks carried by AFP that there was "no cause for international concern"over navigation through the Bab el-Mandeb.
He said international commerce and shipping would remain uninterrupted and denied that the Houthis intended to impose transit fees.
His assurances come as the strategic value of Bab el-Mandeb has increased because of the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-US conflict.
Meanwhile, Iranian officials publicly welcomed the Houthi advance.
Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, called the development a "resounding victory"in a post on X on Friday.
Tehran's Foreign Ministry separately called for an end to Saudi Arabia's blockade of Yemen and urged an immediate return to negotiations between Riyadh and the Houthis.
Iran said it was prepared to support renewed talks.
Questions Over Iranian Military Role
Reuters reported that several senior Revolutionary Guards commanders had traveled to Yemen after discussions over military strategy.
A regional diplomat briefed by Tehran said Iranian personnel had helped oversee attacks directed at Saudi Arabia.
Yemeni military sources told Reuters that, based on intercepted communications and accounts from captured Houthi fighters, they believed the operation was being directed by Abdolreza Shahlaei, a senior commander in the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force.
Iranian sources did not confirm that specific claim.
Reuters also reported that Iranian officials said weapons and personnel continued to reach Houthi-controlled territory despite maritime and aerial restrictions, though the sources did not explain how those transfers were being carried out.
Ahmed Nagi, a Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group, told Reuters that the offensive appeared to reflect preparations extending well beyond recent weeks and linked the Houthis' expanding capabilities to their access to new weapons and smuggling networks, particularly drones.
The military balance remains uncertain.
Saudi-backed government forces have concentrated much of their effort on northern fronts including Jawf and Marib rather than the Red Sea coast, according to Reuters.
Yemeni officials said they had requested stronger Saudi air support against Houthi targets, while Riyadh had largely limited its assistance to logistics, weapons, intelligence and selective strikes.
With the Houthis now controlling Mocha and Mayyun, however, the struggle has moved beyond another territorial battle inside Yemen.
Control around Bab el-Mandeb gives the group a potentially powerful position over a maritime artery connecting Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
That means any escalation there could carry consequences far beyond Yemen, particularly while the parallel crisis in Hormuz continues to constrain global energy flows and shipping.
