Houthi advances along Yemen’s Red Sea coast are bringing the group closer to a vital global shipping chokepoint. For Saudi Arabia, any military response risks reopening a war it has spent years trying to leave behind.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, bolstering the Iranian-backed rebels’ ability to control a key maritime shipping route.

The Iran-backed Houthis’ swift advance in Yemen and attacks on Saudi Arabia have left the Gulf Arab kingdom with few options to respond, all of which carry heavy costs.

The kingdom is in a state of strategic shock after coming under attack from an emboldened Iran and failing to win more U.S. military support, analysts say.

Yemeni officials say the Houthi rebels captured more strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, strengthening their control of a major maritime shipping route. The rebels deployed fighters on

Sharif condemned what he described as Houthi attacks on Saudi civilian and economic infrastructure. | World News

Saudi Arabia’s Yemeni allies are divided and retreated quickly during the Houthis’ latest advance; air power alone is unlikely to push the rebels back. Saudi Arabia may seek help from Turkey and Pakistan under a new mutual-defence pact,

The Houthis claim their attack targeted a Saudi military base in Sharurah.