Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have captured the strategic Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, effectively completing a rapid push to take control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline. This lightning offensive included the seizure of the port city of Mokha on September 10, as well as Dhubab and two other strategic islands on September 11. The group gained control of these areas after forces allied to the UN-backed, Aden-based government withdrew.
The capture of Perim Island, which divides the strait into two shipping lanes, tightens the militants' grip on one of the world's most vital shipping routes. The Bab al-Mandab serves as a crucial choke point connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and global markets, acting as a key alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Combined with Iran's Hormuz blockade, these developments put approximately one-third of the world's seaborne trade under hostile control.
This escalation opens a new front in the Middle East war and is expected to increase the leverage of the Houthis' backers in Iran during their standoff with the United States. The advance threatens to push Yemen closer to a return to civil war while further disrupting international commerce.
In response to the instability and escalating strikes, Saudi Arabia has temporarily closed its critical East-West oil pipeline. The world's largest crude oil exporter shut down the conduit as a precaution after it came under aerial attack by drones launched from Iraq, where Iran-backed militants operate. The move highlights the growing threat to energy supplies and Saudi oil exports passing through key commercial lanes.