Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb coast and Mayyun Island, threatening key shipping lane
Houthi forces have reportedly taken control of Yemen's Red Sea coast, including positions around the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and Mayyun Island, in a rapid advance against government forces. The move gives the group a stronger hold over one of the world's most sensitive maritime chokepoints, according to local officials and witnesses cited in the supplied reports. The advance was described as having reached the coast and nearby islands after government forces withdrew.
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The reports say Houthi fighters reached the coastal town of al-Makha, also known as Mocha, before moving offshore to seize nearby islands. Government sources said fighters later reached Dhubab on the Bab al-Mandeb coast, while boats carrying armed men arrived at Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, after government forces pulled back. One source said the Houthis had completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandeb area, although there was no official Houthi announcement confirming control.
The supplied reports also say Houthi forces seized the Al-Omari camp overlooking the strait and deployed along the shoreline. An eyewitness described gunmen moving around in military vehicles, while a local official said the number of fighters on Mayyun was not large and that they would likely position themselves on hills overlooking the waterway. Government military sources said troops on the Hanish islands were besieged and had asked for rescue, food, water and air support.
Bab al-Mandeb is a strategic passage linking the Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and is a key route for shipping between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The strait has also been used as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, which has added to its importance during wider regional tensions. Control of the area can affect commercial shipping, energy transport and military movement, making any change on the ground significant beyond Yemen itself.
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The reports place the advance in the context of a wider conflict between the Houthis and the internationally recognised Yemeni government. They also note that the waterway has gained importance as a transit route since the start of the wider Middle East war, and that traffic in the Red Sea had already fallen significantly during an earlier Houthi campaign against shipping. That history helps explain why even limited changes in control around Bab al-Mandeb can have outsized consequences for trade and security.
The supplied material says the Bab al-Mandeb area includes four strategic islands: Zuqar, which was reported seized earlier, Mayyun, and the two Hanish islands. It also says government military sources believe the Houthis have ordered besieged troops to surrender, although the status of those forces remained unclear. The reports describe the Houthi advance as rapid and suggest government forces were under pressure across several positions at once.
The wider regional backdrop is also relevant because the strait sits near the approach to Saudi oil terminals and is part of a route used to move crude toward Europe while avoiding Hormuz. That makes the area important not only for Yemen's internal war but also for regional energy security and international shipping. The reports indicate that the Houthis now have leverage over traffic through the Red Sea, which could influence future military and diplomatic calculations.
What remains unclear is the full status of the government troops on the Hanish islands, whether the Houthis will formally announce control of the area, and whether any counteroffensive is being prepared. The supplied reports say there were few signs of an immediate government response, but the situation could still change quickly if reinforcements or air support are brought in. The next developments to watch are any confirmation of control over the remaining islands, the condition of besieged troops, and whether shipping through the strait is affected further.
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