The Iranian-backed Houthis have seized large swathes of territory in Yemen and taken control of the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a key shipping corridor between Asia and Europe. About 12 percent of global trade passes through the strait, including huge amounts of oil, so the move has sent energy prices skyrocketing. But, who are the Houthis? What’s their aim? And with regional powers wary of getting dragged into yet another war, who can stop them?

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Guest: Dr. Elisabeth Kendall, president of Girton College, Cambridge, specialising in Arabic and Islamic studies.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producers: Olivia Case, Robyn Simon.

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Read more: Houthis seized strait ‘without a fight’. Now they’re bracing for one

Further listening: Inside the West Bank crisis driving Britain to act

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Photo: Mohammed Huwais for Getty Images.

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What the lightning Houthi advance means for the world

The Story

What the lightning Houthi advance means for the world