Yemen · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Houthis Seize Mokha and Mayyun Island as Yemen Government Forces Withdraw From Perim Island
Mokha seized by Houthis, bringing them within about 80 km of Bab al-Mandab. Houthis capture Mayyun/Perim Island; government forces withdraw from Perim.
19 outlets, one story, no spin found.
8 of 9 outlets skipped it: iran deploys IRGC officers in Yemen to help target Bab al-Mandeb.
19outlets compared
The New Arab focuses on government force collapse speed and confusion, while CNBC frames the advance as an Iran-backed strategic boost to choke points.
Mokha falls, Bab al-Mandab
Houthi forces seized the Red Sea port city of Mokha and then took control of Mayyun Island, while government forces withdrew from Perim Island as positions aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government collapsed ahead of a wider Houthi offensive.
“completed its control of Bab al-Mandab”
A Houthi official told The New Arab that the group had taken control of Mayyun Island and completed its control of Bab al-Mandab, after the Houthis took Mokha following about a week of heavy fighting.
Reuters, citing two government sources, reported that Yemeni government forces had withdrawn from Perim Island, a move that followed earlier withdrawals from the districts of Hays and al-Wazi'iyah.
The strait is described as one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints, connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, and Mokha’s location is given as about 90km from the provincial capital and roughly 60 to 70km south of Bab al-Mandab.
The speed of the reversal prompted questions about the state of government forces on Yemen’s western coast, after reports from the area had pointed to government advances that “collapsed within hours.”
Reactions and competing claims
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council Chairman Rashad al-Alimi warned that protecting Yemen’s coastline is a “shared Arab and international interest” as the Houthi advance moved toward the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait.
A government military official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that “the Houthis are advancing towards Bab al-Mandab after taking control of Mokha”, while eyewitnesses said Houthi fighters entered the city celebrating and chanting slogans including “Death to America, death to Israel”.
In parallel, Reuters and other reporting described the Houthis as reaching strategic islands in the Bab al-Mandab area, with the BBC saying the Houthis seized a strategic coastal town and an island in the strait, giving them a “strategic presence at one of the world’s most important maritime passages.”
The BBC also reported that a senior official told Reuters and Agence France-Presse that boats carrying armed Houthi fighters had arrived on Birim/Myoun Island after government forces withdrew from it on Thursday.
The BBC framed the Houthis’ position as potentially enabling control of movement through Bab el-Mandeb, citing its correspondent Paul Adams on concerns that the group’s history of attacking international vessels could raise risks despite Houthi assurances that strikes are limited to vessels linked to Saudi Arabia.
What’s at stake next
The Houthis’ push toward Bab al-Mandab is portrayed as threatening two key maritime chokepoints, with CNBC saying the advance toward the Bab el-Mandeb Strait could have “significant ramifications for global trade” if the group escalates threats or attacks on Red Sea shipping.
“significant ramifications for global trade”
CNBC also reported that the capture of Mokha marked a “major blow” to Saudi Arabia and raised the possibility of a tighter grip on the chokepoint, while analysts at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft were quoted on the strategic implications.
Gulf News added that UN Yemen envoy Hans Grundberg warned the advance represented a “new and more dangerous phase” in the conflict, as US officials believed hundreds of officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were operating in Yemen alongside the Houthis.
The same Gulf News report said the Houthis’ capture of Mokha gives them a direct presence near one of the world’s most important shipping corridors, and it described Bab al-Mandab as connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and providing the maritime gateway to the Suez Canal.
Against that backdrop, the BBC said the Houthis’ control of Mokha and their advance toward strategic islands could put the group in a position to potentially control movement of ships through Bab el-Mandeb, with the Hormuz disruption raising pressure on shipping and energy supplies.