Militants from the Houthi movement took control of the strategic port city of Mokha and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, gaining authority over a critical maritime chokepoint in Yemen. Saudi Arabia launched airstrikes to stop the Iranian-backed group's advance, though Riyadh has not started a new full-scale ground operation. The militants now have a path to push east toward Taiz and Marib, which houses Yemen's largest oil and gas fields.

Weekly traffic for Saudi exports through the Bab al-Mandab Strait has fallen below 33% of the year's seven-day average since early August. China privately urged Iran to restrain the militants following a Saudi appeal, but Tehran stated that regional peace depends on ending the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. A full closure of the strait could disrupt as many as 7 million barrels of daily oil flows.