Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces captured the strategic island of Perim (Mayun) in the Bab al-Mandab strait on Friday, expanding control over one of the world’s vital shipping routes, The Guardian and Reuters-sourced reporting said.
Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters the Houthis reached Perim after Saudi-backed government forces withdrew; earlier, sources said government forces also lost the mainland coastal town of Dhubab facing the island. The advance follows Thursday’s fall of the port city of Mocha and seizures along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the Hanish islands.
The Bab al-Mandab links Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Perim divides the waterway near its narrowest point. Saudi Arabia has leaned on the Red Sea route since Iran’s conflict effectively squeezed Hormuz; full Houthi control of Bab al-Mandab alongside Iranian pressure on Hormuz would tighten dual chokeholds on energy shipments. Oil prices have risen above $100 a barrel as fighting escalated. Saudi Arabia mounted air raids on Houthi positions in Mocha on Friday. Axios reported Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged President Trump to strike the Houthis; U.S. officials said Washington does not intend direct military action against them for now. The U.N. migration agency said more than 46,000 people have fled in the past week.
Sources: The Guardian; CNA/Reuters
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