Houthis take control of island in Bab el-Mandeb Strait; vital trade artery at risk

Houthi forces have seized the port city of Mocha and are pushing further south towards the crucial Bab el-Mandeb Strait (AFP)

Iran-backed Houthis have taken control of a Yemeni island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, according to officials cited by the Associated Press, giving the group a direct foothold in the strategic waterway and raising fresh concerns over the safety of global shipping.The Houthis have also captured Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Mocha and are advancing south towards the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait, marking a major escalation in the country’s long-running war.The group has moved against the Hanish Islands, while Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have withdrawn towards Dhubab, a coastal town located directly on the strait, opposite Perim Island.According to Yemeni government sources cited by Reuters, “Control of Dhubab and the island is key to gaining hold of the strait.”Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam said freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and the strait remained safe, but added that Houthi operations would continue until the “aggression” against Yemen ends.The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center said navigation remained safe for all shipping companies except Saudi vessels, which remain subject to a previously announced ban.

UN special envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg told the UN Security Council on Thursday that the international community must act to address the escalating conflict. Grundberg said the Houthis’ control of Mocha gives them "a direct presence on the approaches to one of the world’s most vital straits", raising serious concerns over freedom of navigation and maritime trade security.The US representative at the meeting, Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz, accused the Houthis of acting as "agents and tools of Iran", saying: “This escalation is unacceptable, and those who enable it bear responsibility for its consequences.”Iran’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, said the Yemen conflict could not be resolved through a blockade or military action against the Houthis and called for dialogue, without addressing Tehran’s own role in supporting the group.Why Bab el-Mandeb mattersThe Bab el-Mandeb Strait is the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, connecting the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden to one of the world’s main Asia-Europe shipping routes.

Its importance has grown further as vessels have increasingly relied on the Red Sea as an alternative route amid disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that 8.1 million barrels per day of crude oil, condensate and petroleum products passed through Bab el-Mandeb in the second quarter of 2026, up from 5.4 million bpd in the previous quarter. That was roughly 8 percent of global oil supply during the period.For global trade, any sustained Houthi control of, or disruption to, the strait could force shipping companies to avoid the Red Sea and Suez Canal and reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope.That longer journey means higher fuel consumption, freight and insurance costs, as well as longer delivery times. Major carriers took this step previously after a series of Houthi attacks made Red Sea shipping too risky.Saudi Arabia faces a dual maritime threat. The Houthis have warned that they will target Saudi vessels in the Red Sea, while disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz threaten another key route for Saudi oil exports.How Yemen descended into a decade-long warYemen’s war began after years of political instability and a failed political transition following the 2011 uprising. The Houthis seized Sanaa in 2014, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee.Saudi Arabia intervened in 2015 to support Hadi’s government, turning the conflict into a regional war involving the Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi-led forces.The war has killed tens of thousands of people and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

In 2026, the UN estimates that 22.3 million people need humanitarian assistance, including 18.3 million facing acute food insecurity. More than 6 million people are at emergency levels of food deprivation.A UN-brokered truce in 2022 reduced fighting but failed to deliver a lasting peace. The Houthis later expanded the conflict beyond Yemen by attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in 2023, making Yemen a key flashpoint in the wider Middle East conflict.The latest coastal offensive now adds a new dimension to the crisis. By pushing towards Bab el-Mandeb, the Houthis are moving closer to a chokepoint whose disruption could have consequences far beyond Yemen, threatening shipping, energy flows and supply chains linking Asia, the Middle East and Europe.