Houthi Capture of Perim Island Raises Global Shipping Risks
Houthi forces have moved onto Yemen’s Perim Island after a rapid coastal offensive, gaining new leverage over the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint. Shipping remains open, but the deployment raises the risk of attacks, rerouting and higher transport costs.
Yemen's Houthis reach strategic island at mouth of vital shipping lane
Houthi Forces Reach Perim Island, Raising Red Sea Shipping Threat
Yemen: Houthis tighten control of strategic Red Sea towns
Houthis seize key Red Sea island, complete takeover of Bab el-Mandeb area, says official
Houthis seize key Yemeni island in Bab el-Mandeb, taking control of the strait
A small island with outsized leverage
Boats carrying Houthi fighters reached Yemen’s Perim Island on Friday after government forces withdrew, according to a local official, while witnesses reported armed men deploying along the Bab el-Mandeb shoreline.dw +1 Also known as Mayyun, the volcanic island sits inside the strait and divides its narrowest section into two shipping lanes.euronews +1 Its capture puts the Iran-aligned group directly beside the southern gateway to the Red Sea and Suez Canal route linking Asia and Europe.bbc
The move followed a rapid coastal offensive. The Houthis seized the port city of Mokha on Thursday after forcing out troops aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, their largest territorial gain since the country’s 2022 truce.nytimes +1 Pro-government forces also withdrew from Perim, while Houthi fighters took the mainland town of Dhubab closer to the strait’s narrowest point.dw +1
Control does not automatically mean closure
Holding terrain around Bab el-Mandeb gives the Houthis more options to monitor, threaten or attack vessels, but it does not by itself establish that commercial traffic has stopped. A local official told RTÉ that the initial Houthi force on Perim was “not large” and was likely to occupy hills overlooking the waterway.rte Government military sources said more than 2,000 allied troops were besieged on the nearby Hanish islands, leaving the territorial picture unsettled.euronews +1
Houthi officials sought to reassure international carriers that navigation and trade would remain safe and orderly.dw +1 That promise has limits: the group has previously attacked international shipping and says its embargo on Saudi vessels remains in force.dw +1 Shipowners and insurers must therefore price the group’s demonstrated capability, not only its public assurances.
The next signal will come from ships and states
Bab el-Mandeb has become more important as an alternative route during disruption around the Strait of Hormuz.dw +1 The Red Sea carries nearly one-third of global container traffic, while Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb together handle more than a quarter of seaborne crude oil and petroleum trade.euronews Any sustained threat could push more vessels toward the longer route around southern Africa, adding time and cost even without a formal blockade.
The immediate test is whether the Houthis deploy heavier weapons on Perim or widen attacks on commercial traffic. Another is whether Saudi Arabia, Yemen’s government allies or outside naval powers try to reverse the advance. Until either happens, the takeover is best understood as a sharp increase in leverage at a crucial chokepoint—not proof that the waterway has closed.