Yemen's Houthi rebels advance into the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, causing the worst bloodshed

(Cairo = Yonhap News) Correspondent Kim Sang-hoon = Yemen's pro-Iran rebels Houthis made a large-scale advance into the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a global maritime logistics hub connecting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, resulting in the worst bloodshed in years.

Citing Yemeni military and medical sources, the AFP news agency reported on the 4th (local time) that at least 129 people were killed in one day due to fierce fighting between Houthi rebels and Yemeni government forces that continued the previous day.

This is the largest loss of life in a single armed conflict in the Yemeni civil war in recent years.

The initial death toll was reported to be 81, but as the fighting intensified, casualties rapidly increased.

Yemeni government military officials said 66 of their soldiers were killed, and a Houthi rebel source also said at least 62 rebels lost their lives.

It was confirmed that one civilian was killed in the fierce battle between the two sides.

Xinhua News Agency said that the armed conflict is intensifying as both sides are deploying additional troops, armored vehicles, and military equipment to the front line, and evaluated this armed conflict as the most intense ground war that has taken place in western Yemen in recent years.

The clash was triggered by Houthi rebels advancing near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key bottleneck through which the world's crude oil and natural gas must pass through to reach the Suez Canal.

This large-scale military action by the rebels is an extension of the airstrike on Sanaa International Airport that occurred last July when the war with Iran was in full swing.

At the time, Yemeni government forces claimed that they carried out an airstrike to prevent the landing of Iranian aircraft.

However, the Houthi rebels suddenly declared an end to the ceasefire, pointing to Saudi Arabia as the mastermind, and later launched a maritime blockade by attacking Saudi-related ships near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

As war clouds continue throughout the Middle East, the civil war in Yemen, which had been in a lull as the Houthi rebels concentrated their military power on the 'critical point' of international logistics, is once again heading towards an all-out war out of control.

Concerns are growing about the paralysis of international maritime logistics exposed to the blatant threat of rebels and disruption of the global supply chain.