Houthi Forces Seize Perim Island, Tightening Grip on Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured Perim Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday, according to officials cited by France 24, extending their control over a waterway critical to global shipping and energy supplies.

The island sits at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, a chokepoint through which a significant share of the world's maritime trade passes, including oil shipments from Gulf producers such as Saudi Arabia.

Officials described the operation as a rapid advance that gives the Houthis near control of the strait, a development they said opens a new front in the wider conflict involving Iran.

The seizure raises concerns among shipping and energy analysts about the security of vessels transiting the corridor, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and onward to the Indian Ocean.

France 24 reported that the move threatens to disrupt the flow of energy supplies, particularly Saudi oil exports, that rely on unimpeded passage through Bab el-Mandeb.

The Houthis, who control large parts of northern Yemen and have previously targeted shipping in the Red Sea, have not issued an official statement on their future plans for the island at the time of reporting.

Regional and international reactions to the seizure were not immediately detailed in the source report.