Yemen’s internationally recognized government warned the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday that Houthi rebel advances along the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait threaten global economic stability. The warning comes as renewed ground fighting displaces tens of thousands and pushes international crude benchmark prices toward $108 per barrel.
Strait Control and Global Economic Stakes at the United Nations
Yemen’s internationally recognized government pressed world leaders at the United Nations to help counter the advance of Iran-backed Houthi rebels along one of the world’s busiest waterways. Addressing the General Assembly on Thursday, the vice president of the internationally recognized government council, Abdullah Abdulkader al Alimi-Bawzer, argued that the rebels’ grip on vital maritime choke points places international supply chains at risk.
The Houthi militias’ use of the safety of navigation as a tool for blackmail threatens not only Yemen,
al Alimi-Bawzer told the assembly, adding that the group is taking hostage the entire global economy.
About 12% of global trade typically moves through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, located at the southern entrance of the Red Sea toward the Suez Canal. The waterway has grown increasingly vital to international energy markets since conflict restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the year.
Al Alimi-Bawzer urged the international community to tighten arms embargoes and prevent weapons and military technology from reaching the rebels. He contended that the militia could not sustain its military posture without ongoing support from Iran. Tehran consistently denies arming the group, though U.N. expert panels have previously documented extensive military transfers.
Military Push and Ground Battles in Southwestern Yemen
The diplomatic push in New York coincides with fierce localized ground engagements in southwestern Yemen. Government forces claimed to have seized the strategic Mount Qarafan in southern Taiz, reporting five Houthi fighters killed and 20 injured during the operation. Pro-government Homeland Shield Forces also intercepted a rebel infiltration attempt near the Kahboub front overlooking the Bab al-Mandeb strait.
These mountain clashes carry immense tactical weight. Ibrahim Jalal, a Yemen-focused analyst, told reporters that the government’s limited counterattacks are designed to halt the Houthi advance.
Partially and tactically, the Yemeni Armed Forces stopped part of the Houthi rush seeking to secure and stabilise expansion on the coast, and moved to limited counter-attacks in the Taiz-Lahj region, while regaining dominant heights and positions,
Jalal said, noting that a broad campaign to reclaim the entire coast has not yet begun.
Earlier in the month, the rebels captured the historic Red Sea port city of Mokha, advancing less than 50 miles from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Toyota pickup trucks while chanting slogans against the United States and Israel. Houthi media outlets also reported securing the al-Omari military base and entering Mayun Island.
Humanitarian Toll and Regional Energy Pressures
The renewed hostilities have shattered the relative calm of a 2022 truce, triggering a humanitarian emergency in the Arab world’s poorest nation. The International Organization for Migration reports that recent fighting has displaced approximately 132,000 people, including 75,000 in Taiz alone. The World Health Organization has recorded over 1,000 casualties since the conflict reignited in July.
Global energy markets have reacted swiftly to the security deterioration around the shipping lanes. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose as much as 4.6 per cent to nearly $108 (£80) a barrel.
This poses a further threat to global energy supplies, and suggests that tensions in the region are spreading beyond the Strait of Hormuz, posing a new threat to global energy supplies from Saudi Arabia, in particular,
said Kathleen Brooks of XTB.
While Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam insisted that international navigation remains safe for commercial vessels not tied to the Saudi blockade, military strikes continue across the region. Saudi defense authorities reported intercepting ballistic missiles targeting Yanbu and Taif, while coalition aircraft carried out retaliatory airstrikes.
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