In recent days, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have moved with lightning speed along the Red Sea coast, taking control of the vital port of Mocha and strategic islands in the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
This strait is an important chokepoint along the sea route that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean. With the on-and-off closure of the Strait of Hormuz this year, it has offered a critical alternate route for oil, liquefied natural gas, and other goods leaving or transiting the region.
