Houthi forces overrun Red Sea chokepoints

Houthi forces overrun Red Sea chokepoints

• Yemen’s side of Bab al-Mandab, Mayyun, Hanish islands seized; group says all shipping safe except for Saudi vessels • Saudi Arabia strikes Mocha airport as counter-offensive looms • Trump ‘rejects’ Riyadh’s request for US strikes against Houthis, Axios reports • CDF Munir, Iranian FM discuss escalating crisis SANAA: Houthi fighters have taken control of Yemen’s side of the Bab al-Mandab strait and seized a string of Red Sea islands, consolidating their grip on one of the world’s most important shipping corridors as the wider Middle East war intensifies. The Houthis captured Mayyun Island, also known as Perim, which sits in the middle of the narrow waterway, along with the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, according to officials from Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government. A military official said all territory previously held by government forces along the western coast had fallen. The takeover hands the Houthis control of the Yemeni side of Bab al-Mandab, the southern gateway to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. “The Houthis have completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayyun Island,” a local government official said. A witness described armed fighters deploying along the shore and moving through the area in military vehicles. The Houthis insisted shipping remained safe — for most vessels. “Freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab are safe and orderly,” said Hazem al-Assad, a Houthi politburo member, in comments to Al-Araby al-Jadeed. “There is no cause for international concern, as they face no danger from the Yemeni side.” Saudi ships were the exception. Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesman, said navigation would remain open to all shipping “except Saudi vessels”, which have already been banned. “We will continue to enforce blockade for blockade and escalation for escalation until the aggression stops and the blockade on our people is lifted,” he said, referring to Saudi attacks on Yemen. Saudi strikes on Mocha Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia launched two airstrikes targeting the airport in Mocha, the strategic Red Sea city now under Houthi control, according to the group’s Al-Masirah television channel. A local government official said six missiles had struck Mocha’s port, but did not say who had fired them. The Houthis seized Mocha on Thursday during the offensive that also brought Zuqar Island under their control, as fighters advanced along the coast after years spent consolidating power in northern Yemen. The UN’s migration agency said the offensive had killed more than 500 people and displaced about 46,000. The renewed violence threatens to reignite Yemen’s long civil war, which began after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The group fought a Saudi-led coalition from 2015 until a UN-brokered ceasefire in 2022. Counter-offensive planned Yemen’s internationally recognised government said it was preparing a counter-offensive to retake territory captured by Houthi fighters during their rapid advance along the Red Sea coast. Government forces said they would deploy weapons and aircraft to target Houthi positions in strategic areas, including routes leading toward Mocha. The government said it aimed to eliminate the movement of what it described as “terrorist” Houthi militias in key locations. The Houthis’ advance followed years of fighting in Yemen’s civil war, where the group survived a prolonged Saudi-led air campaign before launching a major push along the western coastline. Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes and troop reinforcements from Aden, where the internationally recognised government is based, but has so far failed to stop the Houthi gains. Trump rebuffs request for strikes US President Donald Trump rejected a request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for direct American military strikes against Houthi fighters in Yemen, according to US officials cited by Axios. The crown prince called Trump twice on Thursday as Houthi forces advanced along the Red Sea coast and requested US military assistance, the officials said. Washington told Riyadh it was not prepared to launch direct military action against the Houthis but would provide intelligence sharing and targeting support. A senior US administration official said Washington remained in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s internationally recognised government. The White House did not comment on the reported calls between Trump and Mohammed bin Salman. US Central Command chief Brad Cooper travelled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for urgent coordination meetings, according to Axios. In a further setback for Riyadh, satellite imagery verified by Reuters showed smoke on Thursday near Saudi Arabia’s East-West pipeline, the route that allows the kingdom to move crude to the Red Sea while bypassing Hormuz. There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities of any attack or damage, and the Saudi government media office and the state oil company Aramco did not respond to requests for comment. Iran hails Houthi advance Iran welcomed the Houthi advance, with Mohammad Mokhber, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, describing the development as a “resounding victory”. “Congratulations on this resounding victory, Ansar Allah,” Mokhber wrote on X, referring to the Houthis by their formal name. Iran has described the Houthis as an ally but has denied directing their military operations, saying the group is not a proxy force. Reports earlier this week said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had provided guidance to the Houthis during the offensive, according to Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources. Iran has rejected those claims and said the Houthis operate independently. CDF Munir, Araghchi discuss crisis Pakistan’s Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Mar­shal Asim Munir and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed regional tensions, including the Yemen conflict and Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, officials said. The two spoke by phone on Thur­sday, with discussions focused on the US-Israeli war with Iran, efforts to restore diplomatic talks and the wider security situation in the region. Iran’s foreign ministry said the two sides reviewed “the latest regional developments” and exchanged views on rising tensions and their consequences for regional peace and stability. They also stressed the need for coordination among regional countries and the use of shared capabilities to support lasting peace and security. Shipping route under threat The capture of Mayyun Island, which divides the strait into two shipping lanes, gives the Houthis a strategically important position overlooking one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors. The waterway connects Asia and Europe through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal and has become even more important since Iran blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, another major energy route, during the wider Middle East conflict. Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, has increasingly relied on Red Sea routes since the Hormuz blockade disrupted shipments through the Gulf. Saudi crude supply fell by 2.3m barrels a day in August, to 6m barrels a day — the lowest level in more than three decades — according to the International Energy Agency, a decline it linked partly to attacks on vessels transiting Bab al-Mandab. The number of vessels passing through Hormuz fell to seven on Thursday, from 11 the day before, according to preliminary ship-tracking data. Before the conflict, the strait typically handled about 125 large commercial vessels a day. Oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel this week, while US diesel prices crossed $6 a gallon for the first time — adding pressure on Donald Trump ahead of November’s midterm elections. Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2026