UN Security Council Meets Urgently on Bab al-Mandeb After Houthi Gains

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday afternoon, New York time, to discuss the situation in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, after the Houthis took control of most of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including Mayyun Island (Perim).

In recent days, the Iran-backed Houthis have taken most of the Yemeni coast of the Red Sea, including Mayyun Island (Perim), which lies right in the strait. Saudi aircraft have carried out 58 airstrikes in just 24 hours, according to the Houthi spokesman, while Yemen and Saudi Arabia prepare to respond to the rebel group’s offensive.

With the Houthis seizing Bab al-Mandeb and Iran’s continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, both of the region’s key energy chokepoints are now under direct pressure, raising fears of a fresh blow to global supplies and oil prices.

Source: Al Jazeera / Reuters