Houthis advance toward Perim Island, threatening Bab al-Mandab shipping lane

Yemen’s Houthi rebels are intensifying an offensive aimed at capturing Perim Island, which sits at the narrowest point of the Bab al-Mandab Strait linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Control of the island would give the rebels the ability to block or threaten commercial vessels passing through the waterway, a key alternative route for oil shipments after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed.

Saudi Arabia has already rerouted oil exports from Hormuz to the Red Sea, but the Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital and much of its north-west coast, are now targeting the town of Mocha, about 50 miles north of Perim, as part of a broader push to dominate the strait.

"It’s geopolitical now," said Tarik Saleh, a vice-president of Yemen’s internationally recognised government, speaking to reporters from a tent on a remote beach. He warned that if the Houthis take Perim, a large multinational naval force would be required to dislodge them.

The conflict in Yemen, which began in 2014, has drawn in regional powers. Iran supplies the Houthis with weapons and training, while Saudi Arabia leads a coalition supporting the Yemeni government. Recent Houthi attacks have extended beyond Yemen, including missile and drone strikes on Saudi infrastructure and, following the October 7 attacks in Israel, strikes on Israeli targets and Red Sea shipping.

According to a Houthi news agency spokesperson, the rebels aim to break what they describe as a 12-year Saudi blockade and have already asserted control over parts of the Bab al-Mandab and Red Sea. The United Nations estimates that about half of the world’s seaborne oil trade once passed through the strait; recent data show volumes have fallen by roughly 50% since the conflict escalated.

Yemen’s fishermen and port workers report severe disruptions. In the port of Mocha, a recent Houthi rocket attack sank six commercial vessels and caused multiple casualties, officials said.

Government forces have begun using first-person-view drones to target Houthi positions, while officials claim they have intercepted Iranian-made weapons shipments destined for the rebels. One captured cache reportedly contained large missiles, radar equipment and other military hardware concealed as commercial goods.

Analysts note that a Houthi foothold on Perim could allow the group to mine the strait, a tactic previously used by Iran in the Hormuz corridor, further threatening global energy flows. The United States and other international actors have so far offered limited assistance, according to Saleh, who said the Yemeni government may have to bear a higher cost if external support does not increase.