Houthis Seize Mayun Island, Strengthen Control Over Bab El Mandeb Strait

Houthis seize Mayun

Iran-backed Houthis seized the island of Mayun this Friday and strengthened their control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, after AFP reported a local official saying “the ships carrying the Houthi fighters reached the island after government forces withdrew yesterday,” a detail also reported by Reuters. The advance followed a rapid offensive launched last week by the Houthis, who control large areas of western Yemen, and it came as government-aligned forces entered on Friday the Dhubab district opposite the island. Before reaching Mayun, the Houthis seized the port city of Mocha about 70 kilometers north of the strait and took control of the Al Hudaydah province after capturing the Hays district.

The offensive also included operations in the Hanish archipelago, with the Houthis occupying the islands of Zuqar, Hanish Major, and Hanish Minor, an operation described as including ballistic missile strikes from the mainland and the sending of fighters by sea. The strategic significance of Mayun’s control is that it gives the Houthis a “privileged position over Bab el Mandeb,” a strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and, through it, the Indian Ocean.

Reporting for this section20Minutos

UN warns, Houthis deny

As the Houthis advanced toward Bab el-Mandeb, the UN warned on Tuesday that escalating fighting in Yemen and around the strait risks further destabilizing a critical international maritime route, with UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari saying fighting had intensified along Yemen's western coast. Khiari told the emergency Security Council meeting that the developments were adding to market concerns amid continuing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, and he said Yemen's government had launched a counteroffensive with clashes reported across several frontlines. Yemen's representative, Abdullah Ali Fadhel Al-Saadi, urged the Council to condemn Houthi attacks and enforce existing arms embargo measures, warning that instability around Bab al-Mandeb could create an environment conducive to arms, drug and human trafficking.

In response to concerns about navigation, a Houthi spokesperson posted on X that “Regarding freedom of navigation and international trade movement in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb, they are safe and orderly, and there is no need for international concern,” adding that operations were targeted and defensive. The UN also said its humanitarian officials estimate that at least 125,000 people have been displaced across Yemen since the beginning of September, while the UN human rights office has recorded 40 civilian casualties, including eight deaths.

Reporting for this sectionA NewsAden Observer

Trade chokepoint stakes

The territorial gains around Bab el-Mandeb are framed by analysts and officials as threatening a second global shipping chokepoint, with Hisham Al-Omeisy, senior Yemen advisor at the European Institute of Peace, telling Fox News Digital that “Which basically is going to drive prices — oil prices, goods and everything else — up exponentially.”

A senior administration official told Fox News Digital that “The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests — such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” while empowering regional partners to manage and resolve regional security challenges.

The same reporting tied the stakes to shipping volumes, saying the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Sept. 9 that crude oil and petroleum liquids moving through Bab el-Mandeb averaged 8.1 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, up from 5.4 million barrels per day in the final quarter of 2025.

It also noted that flows through Hormuz plunged from 21.6 million barrels per day to just 4.9 million, with the EIA attributing the increase at Bab el-Mandeb in part to Saudi Arabia rerouting crude through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu to avoid Hormuz.

AFP reported that oil prices have soared past $100 a barrel this week and that the Houthis’ offensive has cost more than 500 lives and displaced about 46,000 people, as the UN migration agency said on Friday.

Reporting for this section930 WFMD Free TalkAFP