Updated

The Iran-backed Houthis claimed a major military advance in Yemen, capturing the strategic port of Mokha and the island of Perim, moves that bring the group closer to controlling a critical international shipping route through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. Analysts describe it as the most significant territorial shift in the Yemen conflict in recent months. The humanitarian fallout from the advance is spreading regionally: Djibouti's interior minister has appealed for international assistance, warning that the number of Yemenis fleeing across the strait already exceeds the small country's capacity to absorb them. The appeal underscores how the Houthi offensive is displacing civilians and straining neighboring states.