Houthis Seize Control of Strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait

The advance follows the Houthi capture of the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday.

By United with Israel Staff

Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized key positions giving them control over Yemen’s side of the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to officials in Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, expanding the group’s reach over one of the world’s most important shipping routes.

Yemeni government officials said Friday that the Houthis captured the coastal town of Dhubab and the strategic island of Perim, also known as Mayyun, after government forces withdrew.

Two Yemeni government sources told Reuters that control of Dhubab and Perim is key to controlling the strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and serves as a vital route for ships traveling between Europe and Asia via the Suez Canal.

The advance follows the Houthi capture of the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday as the Iranian proxy pushes south along Yemen’s western coast. Pro-Iranian sources also reported renewed Houthi attacks on Yemeni government forces Friday morning, including rocket fire in the al-Arah area of southwestern Yemen.

Perim sits directly inside the Bab el-Mandeb, giving whoever controls the island a strategically important position overlooking maritime traffic through the waterway.

The Houthi takeover comes as another crucial Middle Eastern shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz, faces severe disruption amid the ongoing war with Iran, raising concerns over the security of two of the region’s most important maritime chokepoints.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, demonstrating their ability to disrupt international shipping far beyond Yemen’s shores.

Their latest territorial gains could therefore give the Iranian-backed group significantly greater leverage over maritime traffic through the Red Sea and the approaches to the Suez Canal.