UPI says Iran-aligned Red Sea control brings new U.S.-Iran war front
Saudi Arabia plans to call on Pakistan and Turkey to come to its aid under the Mecca defense agreement as fighting with the Iran-backed Houthi militia intensifies, United Press International reported. Saudi Arabia carried out nearly 40 strikes on Houthi targets on Thursday.
UPI reported that Iran-aligned control of the Red Sea brings a new front to the U.S. war with Iran. The wire service described the Red Sea, like the Persian Gulf, as a critical trade route in the Middle East, particularly for Saudi Arabia.
Yemeni officials said a Houthi ground offensive captured the Yemeni port city of Mokha on Thursday after days of fighting. Saudi Arabia separately plans to seek aid under the Mecca defense agreement and carried out nearly 40 strikes on Houthi targets on Thursday.
Mokha is near the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern entrance to the Red Sea that connects with the Gulf of Aden. The Houthis have also carried out attacks on ships traversing the Red Sea.
The latest escalation began last week when the Houthis launched drone and ballistic missile attacks on energy sites in southern Saudi Arabia, UPI reported.
Saudi forces launched at least 15 strikes on Houthi targets between Sept. 3 and Monday. The nearly 40 strikes reported on Thursday marked a further round of Saudi attacks.
Saudi Arabia supports the Yemeni government and has been at war with the Houthis since 2014, when the militia seized Yemen’s capital, Sana’a.
The Houthis have demanded recognition as Yemen’s true government.
UPI reported that at least 276 people were killed over five days.