00:01Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi rebels captured more islands in the Southern Red Sea,
00:05according to announcements by both government and Houthi officials.
00:09The islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish have been captured by the group,
00:13further strengthening their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb Strait
00:16and Tehran's position in its war against the U.S. and Israel.
00:20The Strait, a key passage for oil shipments,
00:23has become even more crucial in recent weeks
00:25as the Strait of Hormuz remains under U.S. and Iranian blockades.
00:30Bab al-Mandeb is a waterway that sits on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from Hormuz,
00:34connecting the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea,
00:37making it a key passage route for cargo traffic to the Mediterranean.
00:41For more than a month, the Houthis have been striking Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping in the Red Sea,
00:47stepping up pressure on global oil prices, thereby boosting Iran's leverage in the war.
00:52Forces of the internationally recognized Yemeni government have been attempting to rally and fight back,
00:57but the rebels' gains have seemingly come with little resistance.
01:00The Houthis deployed on the Hanish Islands,
01:03160 kilometers north of Bab al-Mandeb,
01:06after hundreds of government-allied forces withdrew from the archipelago.
01:10The group has recently also seized the nearby port city of Mokka
01:13and the island of Parim inside the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.
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