Houthis Seize Strategic Island in Yemen, Threatening Saudi Oil Exports
The Houthi rebels in Yemen have seized control of Mayun island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a strategic location that could threaten Saudi oil exports through one of the world's key commercial lanes. The capture of the island, also known as Perim, was confirmed by a senior military official with Yemen's internationally recognized government and by a Houthi official.
The Houthis have been at war with Yemen's government since 2014, when they swept from their mountainous heartland and seized much of northern and central Yemen. Saudi Arabia entered the war the following year on behalf of the government.
Saudi airstrikes hit rebel-held Mokha airport in response to the Houthi advance, but there was no immediate report of damage or deaths. The Houthis had already attacked Saudi shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea since declaring a blockade there in July, as well as oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia.
The capture of Mokha has brought the Houthis within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the Bab el-Mandeb, a strait that has become an important alternative for global shipping as Iran targets vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The fighting risks a return to civil war in Yemen, which would have dire consequences for the 40 million people living in the Arab world's poorest country.