Houthis take strategic Red Sea island, witnesses say
Rebel fighters are reported to have captured Perim, a strategic island on a vital international shipping route.
Houthis seize strategic Red Sea island, witnesses say
The Houthis intensified the fighting last week and are now reported to have taken control of a strategic island in the Red Sea.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have arrived on Perim Island, a key maritime chokepoint at the entrance to the Red Sea, witnesses said.
The island lies on the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which serves as a gateway to a vital shipping lane connecting Asia and Europe.
This follows the Houthis’ seizure of the strategic port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces a day earlier, according to military sources.
Earlier this week, the Houthis said they were not a threat to international shipping, but they repeated their warning that they would target vessels from Saudi Arabia.
On Friday, Yemeni pro-government forces pulled out of Perim, also called Mayyun.
Witnesses said Houthi fighters moved onto the island, though there has been no immediate confirmation from the Houthis.
The island is located at the narrowest point of the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which has grown more significant after the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz — another major waterway — in the conflict between the US and Iran.
A local government official and an eyewitness told AFP: "The Houthis have completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayyun Island."
Although there were concerns about the impact on global shipping after Mokha was captured, a Houthi spokesman said navigation was safe for all shipping companies except Saudi vessels.
Saudi Arabia depends on the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait to ship oil to customers in Asia.
The widening conflict involving the Houthis, Yemen’s government and Saudi Arabia has helped drive up oil prices.
Hundreds of people are reported to have been killed and thousands displaced since the Houthis began an offensive in the south-west a week ago.
A Saudi-led coalition has also launched air strikes on Houthi-held areas in western Yemen in support of pro-government forces, while the Houthis have fired missiles and drones at cities and oil facilities in southern Saudi Arabia.
Since the fighting escalated, at least 46,000 people have been displaced in Yemen, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
On Friday, the IOM said the figure was "alarmingly rising by the hour".
Amy Pope, IOM director general, said: "Families are being forced to flee for the second or third time in this conflict, with almost nothing left."
The Houthis removed the internationally recognised government in 2015, prompting Saudi military intervention in the civil war. A truce that had largely held for more than four years effectively broke down in July.