The Houthi forces have already captured Al-Hisn al-Murad, the strategic chokepoint controlling the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. According to new foreign media reports on September 11, the Houthi forces have taken control of Al-Hisn al-Murad, which lies at the narrowest section of the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait along the Yemeni coastline (only 25 kilometers wide). If they successfully consolidate their hold and establish defensive positions here, it will become extremely difficult for ships to pass through the strait without the Houthi's consent.
Foreign media note that if the Houthis decide to expand their blockade targeting Saudi vessels to include ships from other nations, shipping through the Suez Canal could come to a standstill, forcing cargo ships to once again reroute around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. Clearly, with this critical strategic node now under Houthi control, the Houthis have gained a decisive advantage in their influence over the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. The dramatic shift in the situation has placed immense pressure on Saudi Arabia. Another grim development is that at least eight locations along Saudi Arabia’s east-west oil pipeline system have suffered catastrophic damage.
Over the past 24 hours, Saudi warplanes conducted 64 airstrikes across the regions of Taiz, Hudaydah, Marib, and two governorates in Jaffa, attempting to stabilize the situation—but evidently, these efforts have failed. Meanwhile, the United States can no longer remain passive. The U.S. has dispatched over 100 military advisors into Saudi Arabia to work under a newly established joint command structure, providing support through satellite intelligence, real-time battlefield awareness, and geospatial target positioning. Years of Saudi investment and operations in Yemen are now being lost.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1875997620920330/
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