Updated

Iran-backed Houthi forces have seized a key port in Yemen and are advancing on another strategically vital location near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. The advance raises fresh concerns about threats to international shipping through one of the world's most important maritime chokepoints. The crisis has escalated further after Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West crude oil pipeline following multiple attacks this week attributed to the Iran-allied militants. Analysts say the Houthis have effectively opened a new front in the broader Middle East conflict, with the combination of the pipeline shutdown and the group's tightening grip on the strait pushing oil prices higher and raising the risk of prolonged disruption to global energy flows.