PNN – An Israeli media outlet has acknowledged that the new operation by Ansarullah forces strengthens their grip on the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; the Maariv newspaper stated in an analytical report regarding recent operations in Yemen that the large-scale ground operation carried out by Ansarullah has tightened the group’s hold on the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The report further notes that the conflict in Yemen has taken a dangerous turn in recent days—at least from Tel Aviv’s perspective.
According to published reports, Houthi (Ansarullah) militants are conducting a large-scale ground operation to seize territory that would enable them to strengthen their control over the international waterway at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Fierce ground battles are underway between the Houthis and forces allied with the Yemeni government (which is backed by Saudi Arabia).
Another part of the report states that intense clashes are currently concentrated in the area west of the city of Taiz. Colonel Abdulbasit al-Bahr, a military officer within the Saudi-backed Yemeni forces, noted that the militia’s military movements are aimed at paving the way toward the coastal city of Mocha.
Mocha is located less than 80 kilometers from the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic chokepoint at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
Citing a report by The New York Times, the outlet also emphasized that the importance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to global energy markets has increased dramatically since the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February.
Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, was forced to rely almost entirely on the Red Sea for its exports after Iran effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz; now, however, this alternative route faces a genuine threat.