More than 120 people have been killed in Yemen's worst fighting in years as Houthi rebels launch a major offensive to seize control of the Bab al-Mandab strait, a critical gateway to the Red Sea. The Iran-backed Houthis initiated a ground assault along with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas, aiming to tighten their grip on the narrow strait at the Red Sea's southern entrance. The death toll rose to 129 on Friday, according to an AFP tally compiled from several sources, up from an earlier count of 81. A Yemeni military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that 66 of his men had been killed, while medical and military sources close to the Houthis said at least 62 militants had died. Another medical source reported that a civilian had also been killed.
The fighting erupted on Thursday after the Houthis launched their offensive, which seeks to cut off the government-held port city of Mokha and advance towards areas bordering the Bab al-Mandab. The rebels have already seized elevated sites overlooking government positions near the Red Sea and the city of Taiz further inland, according to a military source and a Taiz official who requested anonymity. From these positions, the Houthis could target ships passing through the strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
Yemen has been embroiled in more than a decade of civil conflict, and in July, it became the latest country to be drawn into the broader Middle East war. The Houthis upended a 2022 truce with the Saudi-backed government, imposing a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and repeatedly attacking its ships in the Red Sea. This vital alternative route for oil exports has become increasingly important since Iran all but halted Gulf shipments by blockading the Strait of Hormuz.
The Houthi offensive aims to capture Bab al-Mandab and Mokha, which would give them a stronger negotiating position with the government and Saudi Arabia. The narrow waterway connects the Red Sea and, via the Suez Canal, the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. With Iran's closure of Hormuz, the Bab al-Mandab chokepoint has gained increased importance as a transit route for oil from Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest exporter of crude.
In July, a fragile truce between the Houthis and the government fell apart after the rebels welcomed an Iranian plane to Sanaa, setting off a spate of attacks. They later announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia and began hitting its ships and territory. The government has sent reinforcements to Taiz from Aden on Saudi orders, according to a Yemeni official in Aden, the government's base since it was ousted from the rebel-held capital, Sanaa, in 2014.
The escalation in Yemen's conflict has significant implications for global trade and energy security. The Bab al-Mandab strait is a critical transit route for oil and other commodities, and any disruption in this area could have far-reaching consequences. For Bangladesh, which relies heavily on imported oil and gas, the situation in Yemen underscores the vulnerability of global supply chains and the need for robust contingency plans to mitigate the impact of such conflicts on essential imports.
