CAIRO (AP) — Yemeni officials say the Houthi rebels captured more strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, strengthening their control of a major maritime shipping route. The rebels deployed fighters on the islands of Greater Hanish and Lesser Hanish 160 kilometers north of Bab el-Mandeb Strait. That’s according to two government officials and a Houthi official on Monday. They said the Houthis took over the islands after hundreds of government-allied forces withdrew from the archipelago. The capture of the islands came after the rebels last week seized the port city of Mokha and the island of Mayun, located inside Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces.
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