Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reach Perim island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday, Reuters reports, citing four Yemeni government sources. The island sits on a key Red Sea shipping route linking the Mediterranean and the Gulf, and the move could affect maritime traffic and supply chains.
Two additional Yemeni government sources, described by Reuters as Saudi-backed and internationally recognised, earlier say their forces withdrew from Perim. Those sources also say the Houthis took the nearby mainland Red Sea coastal town of Dhubab, which faces the island. The outlets emphasize different implications of the same development, including the potential tightening of control over a vital corridor and the broader risk to energy and shipping markets amid the wider Middle East conflict.
Both accounts rely on Yemeni government sources speaking to Reuters and present the situation as part of an evolving struggle for positions around the Bab el-Mandeb choke point. Neither outlet provides independent verification of control on the ground beyond the source reports.
