Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by / Halida Abbaro

Script:

0:00
Mokha airport - abandoned and purportedly under Houthi control - shown here, in footage released by the Iran-backed Yemeni rebel group on Tuesday.

0:11
The Houthis seized control of the port city just days ago. The aftermath of the battle is reportedly shown in this unverified footage broadcast by Houthi-controlled TV station Al-Masirah.

0:26
Mokha fell after US President Donald Trump reportedly rejected TWO urgent requests by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to intervene with airstrikes.

0:37
The Houthis have since taken control of the strategic Hanish islands in the southern Red Sea.
The conquests are part of a lightning offensive that's seen the group make a series of gains along Yemen's Red Sea coast, seizing territories from Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces.

Mokha is the primary northern entry gateway to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Saudi Arabia has used the Strait to export MILLIONS of barrels of crude oil since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed by the US-Iran war. 

Roughly 12 percent of global maritime shipping passes through Bab el-MAN deb--so who controls it is vastly significant.  

1:13
The Houthis are also increasingly taking the battle to the Kingdom itself, damaging buildings and injuring civilians in Saudi Arabia. The rebels say it's retaliation for previous Saudi airstrikes against THEM.

1:30
The Houthis have also repeatedly targeted Saudi oil infrastructure, including refineries.

1:35
After Washington's rebuff last week, Riyad is now seeking military assistance elsewhere to rein in the Houthis. 

They've requested help from the United Kingdom.

And Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has travelled to Cairo for crisis talks.

END