00:00In just 24 hours, the map of global trade was completely rewritten.
00:02In a staggering overnight blitz, Houthi forces seized over 2,600 square kilometers of territory.
00:08That is an area seven times the size of the Gaza Strip, captured in a single night.
00:12The latest escalation began when Saudi Arabia bombed Sana'a International Airport,
00:16targeting an Iranian aircraft reportedly carrying Yemeni officials and students stranded in Iran.
00:20That strike was followed by a major Saudi-backed ground offensive against Houthi positions,
00:24setting the stage for the lightning counteroffensive that came next.
00:27Houthi forces broke through Saudi-backed defensive lines, forcing a rapid retreat along the coast.
00:31They captured the strategic port city of Mocha, then pushed farther south toward Param Island,
00:35sitting directly in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
00:37And this is where the geography becomes critical.
00:40Mocha sits beside one of the world's most important maritime choke points.
00:43The Bab al-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden,
00:46with a huge share of global shipping passing through it.
00:48Control of this coastline could give the Houthis a powerful position over one of the main gateways into the Red
00:53Sea.
00:53Saudi jets are now striking Mocha's airport to slow the advance.
00:57But on the ground, the shift has already hardened into fact.
00:59Houthi officials say the message is simple.
01:01Global shipping stays open.
01:03Only Saudi vessels are barred.
01:04It's escalation answering escalation.
01:06And the Red Sea is now running under new rules.
01:08So is this a warning shot at Riyadh,
01:10or the opening move toward closing the strait entirely?
01:12which will HOL cent in the author'saga.
01:12Thank you for reopening at all.
01:13I am the Assistant to the Super Bowl,brigts
Comments