Yemen's Houthis reach strategic island at mouth of vital shipping lane
Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized the strategic island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening a critical global shipping lane. This development, coupled with potential attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, risks further destabilizing global oil supplies.
Why it matters
Control over this maritime chokepoint could grant Iran significant leverage in regional conflicts and cause global energy price volatility.
Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis on Friday (September 11, 2026) reached the strategic island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, four Yemeni government sources told Reuters, potentially tightening their grip on one of the world’s vital shipping routes.
Earlier, two sources from the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government said its forces had withdrawn from Perim and that the Houthis had also taken the mainland Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab, which faces the island.
Keep track | West Asia conflict LIVE: Yemen’s Houthis reach strategic island at mouth of Bab al-Mandeb
If the Houthis gain full control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz, it could give their backer Iran a critical advantage in the war with the U.S., reducing supplies through a second major transit corridor and sending oil prices surging.
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