Houthis Seize Vital Bab al-Mandeb Strait, Threatening Global Shipping
The Houthi group is reported to have successfully seized the entire Yemeni coastline along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the gateway to the Red Sea, on Saturday (12/09). This follows a lightning strike the previous day, in which Houthi forces captured three strategic islands located in the middle of the Bab al-Mandeb shipping lanes.
This situation allows the Houthis to further tighten their grip on the vital shipping route connecting Europe and Asia via the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. This development is expected to worsen the impact of the Middle East war on international trade, especially as Saudi Arabia has closed oil pipelines due to attacks on its territory, compounded by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz in recent months.
Following a week of attacks that killed hundreds in Yemen, as reported by AFP on Saturday (12/09/2026), several local government officials stated that the Houthis have seized the Yemeni side of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
A local official from the Saudi-backed Yemeni government stated on Friday (11/09) that: “The Houthi group has completed the takeover of the Bab al-Mandeb area and Mayun Island, located in the centre of the strait.”
Mayun Island, also known as Perim, is known to divide the strait into several shipping lanes. An eyewitness in Yemen reported that an armed group was “positioning themselves along the Bab al-Mandeb coast and patrolling using military vehicles.”
In a separate statement, a Yemeni government military official reported that the Houthis have also seized Great Hanish Island and Little Hanish Island—the final two islands in the narrow waterway previously outside their control—as well as the surrounding Red Sea coastline. “Everything under our control on the western coast has fallen,” the Yemeni military official said.
The waterway has become increasingly important as a transit route since the escalation of the Middle East war, marked by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The route is also vital for Saudi oil exports, as Riyadh relies on the Red Sea since the Strait of Hormuz became paralysed by the Tehran blockade.
There are four strategic islands in the waterway: Zuqar Island—which the Houthis seized on Thursday (10/09)—Mayun Island, and the two Hanish Islands. Yemeni government military sources told AFP that Houthi forces surrounded government troops deployed in the Hanish Islands.
The capture of these strategic islands, particularly Mayun Island located in the middle of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, is assessed to increase the Houthis’ ability to attack Saudi tankers, which have been targets since last July.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree released a statement asserting that shipping lanes in the Bab al-Mandability Strait are “safe” for all parties except Saudi Arabia, following the recent advances made by the Iran-backed group.
Mohammad Mokhber, an advisor to Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, extended congratulations to the Houthis for their “brilliant victory.”