LAGOS, Nigeria. (Voice of Naija) Houthis have reached the strategically important Perim Island near the Red Sea, in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
This escalation could further threaten one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes and put additional pressure on global oil supplies.
The development was reported by Reuters on Friday, among 4 other Yemeni internationally recognised government sources, who said Houthi forces had reached the island, also known as Mayun, following the withdrawal of government-backed forces from the area.
Reuters also reported that the Houthis had taken the nearby mainland town of Dhubab, which faces the island across the Red Sea.
The advance comes only a day after the Houthis captured the strategic port city of Mokha and several islands in the Red Sea, marking one of the group’s most significant territorial expansions in years.
The location of Perim makes the development particularly significant.
The island sits in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the narrow maritime passage connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The waterway is one of the main routes linking Europe and Asia through the Suez Canal and carries substantial volumes of oil, gas and manufactured goods.
Control of the area could give the Houthis greater ability to threaten or restrict commercial shipping passing through the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
According to the Associated Press, the island’s capture was confirmed by both a senior official from Yemen’s internationally recognised government and a Houthi official.
The agency said Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes on the airport at Mokha, although there were no immediate reports of casualties from those strikes.
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The latest development is also significant because it comes against the backdrop of the wider US-Iran conflict.
The Strait of Hormuz, on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula, has already experienced severe disruption during the conflict.
According to Reuters, only seven vessels passed through Hormuz on Thursday, compared with a 10-day average of 15 and a pre-war daily average of about 125.
The possibility of simultaneous disruption around Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has therefore raised concerns about the security of two major maritime chokepoints at the same time.
The economic consequences could be substantial.
Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on alternative routes to move its oil after disruptions around Hormuz. Reuters reported that Saudi crude production fell by about 2.3 million barrels per day in August to six million barrels per day, its lowest level in more than three decades, according to data from the International Energy Agency.
Oil prices have consequently remained elevated, with Brent crude trading above $100 a barrel as investors assess the possibility of further supply disruptions.
The Houthi advance also creates a new military challenge for Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi-backed Yemeni government has said its forces intend to launch counter-offensive operations against the Houthis and prevent the group from consolidating its control along the Red Sea coast.
A Yemeni military spokesman, Colonel Majed al-Nazili, urged civilians to avoid the road connecting Taiz and Mokha and stay away from Houthi military equipment as government forces prepare for further operations.
The sudden expansion has raised questions about the Houthis’ objectives.
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Reuters reported earlier this week that the group’s offensive along the Red Sea coast was accompanied by guidance from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Yemeni, Iranian and regional sources.
The sources said Tehran was seeking to open another front against Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Iran has publicly denied directing the Houthis’ military activities and describes the Yemeni movement as an independent ally.
The Houthis, meanwhile, have increasingly used their control of parts of Yemen to exert pressure on regional shipping.
Their attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea over recent years have already forced many international shipping companies to divert vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, adding thousands of kilometres to some journeys between Asia and Europe.
The latest territorial gains could therefore have consequences well beyond Yemen.
If the Houthis succeed in maintaining control of Perim and nearby coastal territory, commercial shipping companies could face renewed pressure to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb entirely.
That would add transportation costs, lengthen delivery times and potentially increase the price of energy and other imported goods.
The development also comes as diplomatic efforts continue around the wider US-Iran conflict.
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Reuters reported that Gulf foreign ministers are expected to meet Iran’s foreign minister in Oman next week as regional governments seek arrangements to improve maritime security around Hormuz.
For Yemen, however, the immediate concern is the possibility of another major phase of fighting.
The country’s internationally recognised government has already indicated that it intends to challenge the Houthi advance, while Saudi Arabia has demonstrated its willingness to use air power against newly captured positions.
The battle for Perim may therefore become more than another episode in Yemen’s long-running civil war.
With the island sitting at one of the world’s most strategically important maritime passages, its capture has transformed a local military development into a potential threat to international shipping, energy markets and the wider regional balance of power.
