NewzCAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured a strategic island at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, two officials said Friday, opening a new front in the Iran war and further threatening Saudi oil exports through one of the world’s key shipping lanes.The Houthis’ biggest territorial gains in years, along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, could boost Iran’s strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States.Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia said Friday that it had shut down a major cross-country oil pipeline after it was attacked the day before. A statement from the Saudi Ministry of Energy did not specify who carried out the attacks and called the shutdown “a precautionary measure.”Built in the 1980s, the East-West pipeline has played a key role in Saudi Arabia’s ability to continue exporting oil following the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz during Iran’s war with the U.S. and Israel.In Yemen, Saudi Arabia struck the airport in the port city of Mokha that the Houthis seized Thursday, a Houthi broadcaster said.
There were no reports of damage or deaths.The capture of Mayun, a tiny, barren volcanic island inside the strait also known as Perim, was confirmed by a senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and by a Houthi official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has increasingly relied on the Red Sea to get its crude to market as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been striking ships. Houthi efforts to close the 28-kilometer-wide (17-mile) Bab el-Mandeb channel have made that route more complicated.
Saudi officials declined a request by The Associated Press for comment on the developments.In a statement Friday, the Houthi armed forces boasted of gains along the coast without mentioning the island, Mokha or the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. They vowed “escalation for escalation” in the confrontation with Saudi Arabia, while declaring that “maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels.”Still, markets are nervous, and experts have described the Houthis as highly unpredictable. Crude prices this week soared again above $100 a barrel, giving Tehran more leverage in any talks.Yemen's government was shocked by slow Saudi responseThe Houthis have been attacking…
The Houthis' biggest territorial gain in years, along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, could boost Iran's strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States.
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