Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have further strengthened their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by seizing additional strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, the Associated Press reported on the 14th (local time).

According to Yemeni government and rebel officials, the Houthis recently took control of Jabal al-Tair and Lesser Hanish islands, key locations in the Hanish archipelago, and deployed combat troops there.

Having seized Zuqar Island last week, the Houthi rebels now have full control over the Hanish archipelago, located about 160 kilometers north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the sea.

The rebels rapidly expanded their control, following their seizure of the nearby mainland port city of Mocha and Perim Island located within the Bab el-Mandeb Strait last week.

As a result, the distance between the Houthi forces' positions and the U.S. military base in Djibouti, across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, has narrowed to about 32 kilometers.

By securing the Hanish archipelago, the Houthis have further increased their capability to threaten Saudi Arabian crude oil tankers.

Saudi Arabia has been exporting crude oil by routing it through an east-west pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has blockaded.

Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and Red Sea shipping can exert major pressure on global crude oil supplies, while also serving as a favorable leverage point for Iran, the Houthi rebels' backer that is in a standoff with the United States.

It is reported that the internationally recognized Yemeni government forces failed to put up any significant resistance during the rebels' recent advance.

However, government forces regrouped over the weekend, and Yemeni military authorities announced late yesterday that they had advanced toward Doubab, a strategic city north of the strait.