YEMEN AND SAUDI ARABIA: WHERE THINGS STAND

The Houthis have taken Mocha, Dhubab and Mayyun Island, giving them positions along both sides of the Bab al Mandeb. They have also deployed forces to Zuqar and the Hanish Islands farther north.

The Houthis now threaten the Red Sea route Saudi Arabia increasingly depends on after Iran closed Hormuz. Traffic through Bab al Mandeb has already fallen 46%, while oil prices have climbed above $100.

The rapid government withdrawal also left the Houthis with a major weapons haul. Footage shows them capturing U.S. supplied Oshkosh M ATVs, multiple mine resistant armored vehicles, weapons and ammunition previously delivered to Saudi backed Yemeni forces. The full inventory remains unclear.

Saudi Arabia is responding with a major air campaign. The Houthis claim more than 300 strikes across Yemen over 5 days, although Riyadh has not formally acknowledged the operation.

The Houthis are also striking inside Saudi Arabia. They claim missile and drone attacks against King Khalid Air Base and the Sharurah base. Saudi authorities confirmed that a projectile struck Al Tuwal, wounding 2 people and damaging a mosque and nearby buildings.

On the ground, Yemen’s Aden based government forces are trying to recover western Taiz and the Red Sea coast. Units that withdrew from Mocha are regrouping in Marib, but divided command remains a major problem. The government camp still operates through roughly 8 competing military structures.

Nearly 86,000 people have been displaced since the fighting intensified, with more than 2,000 crossing into Djibouti.

The frozen Yemen war is over. The Houthis now control the Red Sea coast, are striking Saudi territory and have captured U.S. supplied equipment while positioning themselves across the kingdom’s most important alternative oil route.