Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have taken control of Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast, including areas near the Bab al-Mandeb shipping lane, reports indicate. They have seized Mayun, a strategic island in the strait located at the entrance to the Red Sea, and the key port city of Mocha. The development has raised concerns over disruption of the key shipping route that may threaten oil exports from Saudi Arabia. In retaliation, Saudi Arabia also launched airstrikes on Mocha airport.
“Boats carrying armed Houthi fighters reached Mayun Island after government forces withdrew from it yesterday,” a Yemeni government official told AFP.
“The Houthis have completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayun Island, which is located in the middle of the strait,” he added.
According to eyewitnesses, gunmen were seen along the Bab al-Mandab shore and were driving around in military vehicles.
A Yemeni military official told AFP, “Everything that was under our control on the western coast has fallen.”
Why the Houthi takeover of Red Sea port raises alarm
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The Bab al-Mandeb is a critical maritime chokepoint connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. Control of islands around the strait could give the Houthis greater ability to monitor or disrupt shipping passing through the waterway.
The route has assumed even greater importance amid the wider Middle East conflict, particularly after Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted another major energy corridor.
The Bab al-Mandeb is also an important route for Saudi oil exports and international commercial shipping.
The waterway includes four strategic islands – Zuqar, Mayun and the two Hanish islands. The latest developments could therefore significantly alter the military balance around the strait.
Saudi oil lifeline reportedly hit in Houthi strike
Saudi Arabia’s main East-West oil pipeline was reportedly hit in a suspected Houthi attack, with video footage and satellite imagery showing smoke and possible fire along the pipeline route between Medina and Mahd adh Dhahab.
Sentinel-3 satellite imagery showed a black smoke plume over the desert route, while NASA’s FIRMS system detected clustered thermal anomalies in the area. There has been no independent confirmation of a fire so far.
The reported incident comes after a series of Houthi attacks targeting Saudi Arabia over the past 24 hours.
Houthis say ‘no cause for concern’ after Red Sea port takeover
Despite concerns over the Houthi takeover of the strategic area, the Iran-backed group sought to reassure the international community that commercial shipping through the Bab al-Mandab remains secure.
Houthi politburo member Hazem al-Assad told Al-Araby al-Jadeed news outlet that “Freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab are safe and orderly.” He added, “There is no cause for international concern, as they face no danger from the Yemeni side.”
Meanwhile, Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, hailed the Houthi advance as a major victory.
“Congratulations on this resounding victory, Ansar Allah,” Mokhber wrote on X, referring to the Houthis by their formal name.
