[Anchor]
Following the conflict between the United States and Iran, nearly 100 ships have already been attacked in the Strait of Hormuz since March. Amid this situation, the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels have begun taking control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea. With both key Middle Eastern oil transit routes blocked simultaneously, international oil prices surged by more than 6%. Both Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) surpassed the 100-dollar mark for the first time since last May.
Reporter Gwak Sang-eun has the details.
[Reporter]
Yemen's pro-Iranian Houthi rebels seized control of Mocha, a strategic port city located about 75 kilometers from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance of the Red Sea, yesterday (September 10).
[Houthi Rebel : This is the port of Mocha. By the grace of God.]
Al Jazeera reported that following an additional 18-hour offensive, the Houthis captured Yemen's Red Sea coastlines one after another, including Dubab and Murad, following Mocha.
AFP reported that the Houthis advanced to the sea, successively occupying the Hanish Islands a day prior and Mayun Island at the strait's entrance today, fully securing control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
This means the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels have secured bridgeheads along the Yemeni coast and in the middle of the Red Sea, enabling them to visually monitor and strike vessels passing through the strait.
Reuters reported that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps directly directed this operation.
[Tariq Saleh / Yemeni Government Military Official (English dubbed) : We told the world that this is an Iranian plan, but no one listened to the Yemenites.]
In response to the Houthi offensive, Saudi Arabia launched counterattacks, including bombing Mocha Airport, but Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's request for the U.S. military to directly strike the Houthis was reportedly rejected by Trump.
Meanwhile, offensives continue in the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran claiming additional strikes on U.S. military drones and vessels.
While multiple U.S. fighter jets, including F-15s at Jordan's air base, were reportedly damaged in earlier missile attacks, the acting U.S. Navy secretary stated that the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet base in Bahrain was smashed by Iranian attacks.
Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb.
With both key oil transit routes blocked at the same time in an unprecedented crisis, the situation in the Middle East and the global energy supply chain are plunging into deeper chaos.
(Video Editing: Lee Seung-yeol, Design: JUNHO·SOOIN, Video Source: X @Osint613)
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