Houthis seize key Yemeni Red Sea port, threatening global energy flows

DUBAI, Sept 10: Iran-aligned Houthi militants seized control of Yemen's port city of Mocha on Thursday, military sources said, posing a further threat to global energy supplies hours after President Donald Trump said he expected the war to end after mid-term elections.

Four Yemeni government military sources said the Houthis had gained further leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the southern outlet of the Red Sea and one of the world's most important shipping routes, and were launching attacks on the strategic islands of Hanish.

The Houthis entered the current war alongside Iran with an attack on Israel on March 28, but largely stayed quiet before declaring a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in July and stepping up attacks on the south of the kingdom in September.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has relied on the Red Sea shipping route since the Iran conflict effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil used to flow.�" REUTERS