Yemenâs Iran-aligned Houthis reached the strategic island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday, four Yemeni government sources told Reuters, tightening pressure on one of the worldâs vital shipping corridors.
Two sources from the Saudi-backed, internationally recognized Yemeni government said its forces had withdrawn from Perim and that the Houthis had also taken the mainland Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab, which faces the island.
If the Houthis gain fuller control of the strait â on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz â it could give their backer Iran leverage in the wider war with the United States by squeezing a second major energy transit route.
Saudi Arabia has relied more heavily on Red Sea export routes since the Iran conflict disrupted Hormuz traffic. The International Energy Agency said Friday that Saudi crude supply fell 2.3 million barrels per day in August to 6 million bpd, the lowest in more than three decades, partly because of threats to Bab el-Mandeb traffic.
Yemeni government forces said they would try to retake areas seized in this weekâs coastal offensive, including routes toward Mocha, which the Houthis captured Thursday along with the Hanish islands. Reuters reported Thursday that the advance came with guidance from Iranâs Revolutionary Guards, according to Yemeni, Iranian, and regional sources; Tehran publicly denies directing the Houthis as a proxy.
