Houthi fighters seize control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast

Janet Jalil (0:00)

This is the Global News Podcast from the BBC World Service.

I'm Janet Jalil, and in the early hours of Saturday, the 12th of September, these are our main stories. Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen cement their control of a key waterway, seizing control of the country's entire Red Sea coast. The Democratic Republic of Congo says the Ebola outbreak, its battling has spread to the country's Northwest. A bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales is rejected by MPs.

Also in this podcast, India hosts a Brics summit. Will it challenge a Western-dominated world? And a museum in England removes an ancient Egyptian mummy from public display because they think that's what she would have wanted. Some visitors, though, aren't happy.

SPEAKER_2 (0:56)

It's half of an exhibit if you just have the exterior without the interior of it. You're missing out on kids coming in and learning what mummies looked like.

SPEAKER_3 (1:04)

I do understand the point of view of the people who it's been taken from. Yeah, it definitely was a right decision to take it off.

Janet Jalil (1:15)

Iranian-backed Houthi fighters have now seized control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast in a lightning offensive that cemented their grip on a vital maritime corridor.

An eyewitness said gunmen were deploying along a key international shipping route, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and driving around in military vehicles.

Officials in the Saudi-backed Yemeni government say the Houthis have also seized several islands in and near the Bab al-Mandab. This has become an increasingly important route for Saudi Arabia's oil exports since Iran blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz after the US and Israel launched their war on it.

The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, had this to say.

Yahya Sarea (2:03)

Navigation remains safe for all shipping companies except Saudi vessels in the Strait of Bab al-Mandab, a strategic link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

Janet Jalil (2:19)

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia says it's shut down a major oil pipeline after it was attacked by drones launched from inside Iraq.

The UN says the latest fighting in Yemen has killed hundreds of people and displaced tens of thousands more. Our correspondent, Lise Doucette, explained how significant the Houthi advance was.

Lise Doucette (2:40)

This is hugely significant. It essentially opens up a second front in this crucial area. We have of course been focusing on for many months the main theater of war is in the Strait of Hormuz. And there's been observations, including from US officials in recent days, about how they've been able to loosen Iran's grip on that strategic choke point, that they're now managing to get many, many more tankers through, exporting many, many more millions of barrels of oil, whereas the Iranians are being prevented from exporting their oil. So we see in this move by the Houthis, who are not completely tied to Iran, they have their own interests in the region, but on this they seem aligned, that Iran now wants to exercise even greater leverage geographically and politically by maintaining a hold over the second choke point, just south of the Persian Gulf. Now you have the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on the Red Sea, but you heard from the spokesperson making it very clear, they don't want the Americans to be drawn in, they promise not to disrupt maritime trade except for the Saudis.

Fergus Walsh (3:43)

And just how crucial is that Bab al-Mandeb Strait? We've heard so much about the Strait of Hormuz. How about this particular choke point?

Lise Doucette (3:49)

It's particularly important for Saudi Arabia because Saudi Arabia and being prevented from exporting through the Strait of Hormuz has been turning to the Red Sea, which is the link between the Suez Canal in the north and the Gulf of Aden. And I know from recently speaking to Saudi officials, they were putting all their efforts into developing these alternative routes. It's been the same with other partners in the Gulf, saying, okay, right, Iran's going to continue to exercise control there. We're going to outsmart them by making the Strait of Hormuz less important. It's very difficult to say just how much of the traffic goes through there. And it's not just oil and gas. There are other really important commodities as well. So this is why you've seen today another spike in oil prices. The markets are nervous. And I think it's a very unpredictable and a very volatile situation. What will the Saudis do? They're already bombing today.

There are reports that they've asked the Americans to help. So far, they're not. But the discussions are continuing.

Janet Jalil (4:48)

Liz Dussart speaking to Anchor Desai.