Houthis seize key Red Sea island, threatening global shipping routes

Photo — Serg Alesenko / Pexels

Iran-backed Houthi fighters have seized strategic territory around the Bab al-Mandab Strait in Yemen, including Perim (Mayun) Island and the Red Sea port of Mokha, giving them effective control over one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints for oil and commercial shipping.[6][9][15] The Bab al-Mandab links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, and is a core route for vessels transiting between Europe and Asia via the Suez Canal; disruption or militarisation there can quickly affect global energy prices, insurance costs and supply chains.[6][9] Yemeni government sources and international media report that the Houthi advance, backed by Iran, comes amid wider regional tensions and attacks on shipping and pipelines, with Saudi export routes and Red Sea traffic already under pressure.[2][6][14][15] Governments and navies are now assessing heightened risks to international maritime security, as control of Perim Island allows the Houthis to monitor, threaten or potentially interdict traffic through the narrow strait, prompting warnings that Yemen could slide back toward broader civil war and that Tehran’s influence over key Middle Eastern waterways is expanding.[2][6][9][15]

Sources: BBC, AP, CNN, YeniSafak, AlJazeera, NBCNews