The Houthi rebels effectively completed their rapid push to take control of Yemen’s Red Sea coastline on Friday, tightening their grip on one of the world’s most important shipping routes and delivering a dramatic boost to their backers in Iran.
\n\nHouthi forces captured Perim, an island in the middle of the vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait, several news agencies reported, citing multiple sources. It comes after they captured the historic port city of Mocha just a day earlier.
\n\nThat was followed by an advance on the strategic coastal town of Dhubab and the apparent withdrawal from Perim — also known as Mayun — of forces from the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized Yemeni government.
\n\nThe Houthis and the opposing coalition have been fighting a civil war since 2014. The conflict has simmered for years following a truce but erupted into intense fighting again in recent weeks, raising concerns of a return to all-out war and posing a serious new threat to the global economy.
\n\nEffective Houthi control over the Bab-el-Mandeb, a gateway to the Red Sea, could imperil oil exports to Europe and Asia while granting Iran powerful new leverage in its war with the United States.
\n\nSaudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil…
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/business