SANAA/ADEN: Yemen’s Houthi movement has pushed through the remaining government-held positions along the country’s southern Red Sea coast, reaching Dhubab and the strategic island of Perim at the mouth of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, according to Yemeni government sources cited by Reuters. The group has also seized the Hanish Islands after taking the port city of Mocha a day earlier.
The advances followed a rapid offensive in which Saudi-backed government forces withdrew from a series of coastal positions. Al Jazeera had earlier reported that the Houthis were approaching complete control of the Yemeni Red Sea coastline after capturing Mocha, while analysts said the gains left them in a position to exert far greater pressure over shipping through Bab el-Mandeb.
Bab el-Mandeb connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and is one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. Around 10–12% of global trade moves through the route, while Reuters estimates roughly 7% of global oil output passes through the strait. Houthi positions on both the mainland coast and nearby islands substantially expand the group’s ability to monitor or threaten vessels passing through the narrow waterway.
Yemen’s internationally recognised government has said it is preparing a counteroffensive and reinforcing forces in the south. Saudi Arabia has meanwhile carried out airstrikes against Houthi positions, including around Mocha, as fighting intensifies after several years of relative calm.
The claim that the Houthis completed the entire advance in 18 hours is being reported by sources on the ground, but I have not found independent confirmation of that exact timeframe. What is independently corroborated is that the Houthis have now reached Dhubab, Perim and Hanish, giving them control or presence along virtually the whole Yemeni side of the Red Sea approaches to Bab el-Mandeb.