Houthis seize key point for war with Saudis - details
Yemeni Houthis have captured the island of Zuqar in the Red Sea, a strategic point for military operations against Saudi Arabia. Before the landing, the militants launched a missile strike on the island and landed troops from boats. The fate of the government garrison is unknown.
Yemeni Houthis have captured the island of Zuqar in the southern Red Sea, a key point for military operations against Saudi Arabia. According to a Yemeni military source, before the landing, the militants struck the island with two ballistic missiles, then sent landing craft to the shore. The Houthis had previously seized the port of Mocha and continued advancing toward the strait. Sources in Yemen said that after consolidating in Mocha, the Houthis sent a large group of combat boats from the southern coast of Hodeidah province to Zuqar. The fate of the government garrison remains unknown—sources speculate that soldiers may have left the island by sea and headed to Aden. Zuqar is the largest Yemeni island in this part of the Red Sea, located about 90 km southeast of Hodeidah (the main Houthi port, which has been repeatedly struck by Israeli aircraft) and about 160 km north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The island, covering about 130 sq km, has no permanent residents but hosts military facilities. Zuqar has changed hands before: the Houthis captured it in 2014, but in December 2015 it was retaken by the Saudi-led coalition. After that, units of the National Resistance under the command of Tariq Saleh, supported by the UAE, were stationed on the island.