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Arabia
Houthis seize strategic al-Mandeb chokepoint
2026-09-12

Text:

🚨 HOUTHIS SEIZE STRATEGIC BAB AL-MANDEB CHOKEPOINT

The Houthis have reportedly taken Dhubab and strategic Perim (Mayyun) Island, giving them a commanding position over Yemen’s approaches to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

Control of the island puts vessels within reach of short-range weapons alongside existing missile and drone threats.

With Iran also pressuring the Strait of Hormuz, global shipping and Saudi oil exports now face mounting pressure at both of the Middle East’s critical maritime chokepoints.

More

Ansarallah’s Yemeni Armed Forces have reportedly made significant advances on the northern outskirts of Marib


Ansar Allah (Houthis) reportedly destroyed an Armored Vehicle belonging to PLC Forces in Al-Jawf.



Houthis reach Yemen’s Perim Island after government forces withdraw
[North Press] Houthi forces reached Yemen’s strategic Perim Island at the entrance to the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Friday after government forces withdrew, according to Yemeni sources.

Two sources from Yemen’s internationally recognized government said its forces had pulled out of Perim, while four government sources confirmed that the Houthis had reached the island. Reuters reported that the Houthis also took control of the nearby Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab. (Reuters⁠)

The island, also known as Mayun, lies about 3.5 kilometers off Yemen’s western coast and occupies a strategic position in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a key maritime route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. (AP News⁠)

The Houthi advance comes after the group seized the Red Sea port city of Mokha and several nearby islands in a rapid offensive along Yemen’s western coast.

Courtesy of Besoeker:
Houthis' Stranglehold On Strategic Bab Al-Mandab Strait Grows Stronger
[TWZ10] The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have captured Mokha — a key Red Sea port in southwestern Yemen near the Bab al-Mandab (BAM) Strait. There are also reports they seized two islands located in the Red Sea shipping lanes. These moves against the Saudi Arabian-backed forces that previously held these areas could further cement the Houthis’ control over the narrow chokepoint to the Gulf of Aden, where the group has already imposed a blockade on Saudi oil exports.

The Houthis’ drive to control the BAM has been emboldened by the U.S. being stretched thin in its ongoing fight against Iran. Combined with Tehran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, this threatens to add to the Islamic Republic’s command over the flow of oil from the Middle East. It is a maximum pressure campaign on the U.S. and global markets, something we have predicted for years. Amid all this activity, the per-barrel price of Brent Crude is well over the $100 mark now.

The rapid advance on Mokha was planned and backed by Iran,
…of course…
according to the leader of Saudi-backed forces that retreated from Mokha, which is about 50 miles north of the BAM. It took place as Tehran has taken a more belligerent stance in the region that has seen it reportedly damage U.S. aircraft in a recent attack on Jordan earlier this week and get closer to striking U.S. Navy warships with ballistic missiles.

"The Joint Forces have formed a command center south of the city of Mokha, following Houthi breakthroughs across various combat axes under heavy fire, in which the Houthis used various types of weapons," Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Lt. Gen. Tareq Saleh, said in his acknowledgment that his forces lost the port. The PLC was created in 2022 to represent the internationally recognized government of Yemen.

"The armed forces on the West Coast — the National Resistance, the Giants [Brigades], and the Homeland Shield — in addition to units of the Taiz axis west of the governorate, have paid a heavy price, martyrs and wounded, over the past days as they confronted the Houthi attack, which was planned by Iran, supported by it, and carried out with the participation of its various proxies/tools."
Related:
Mokha: 2026-09-11 Houthis seize islands in the Red Sea
Mokha: 2026-09-07 Houthi advances appear to have been halted across several fronts
Mokha: 2026-09-06 Over 60 killed in Yemen as Houthis battle Saudi-backed forces near Red Sea gateway
Related:
Bab al-Mandab: 2026-09-06 Over 60 killed in Yemen as Houthis battle Saudi-backed forces near Red Sea gateway
Bab al-Mandab: 2026-09-05 After two days of deadly offensive near the Red Sea, the Houthis are in positions to target ships
Bab al-Mandab: 2026-09-02 Al-Shabaab and Houthis deepen arms cooperation — WSJ



Posted by:badanov

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