Iran-backed Houthi rebels have captured the strategic Greater and Lesser Hanish islands in Yemen’s southern Red Sea, further expanding their control around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and raising concerns over the security of one of the world’s most important maritime shipping routes.
Yemeni government and Houthi officials confirmed the latest territorial gains on Monday, following a rapid advance by the rebels along Yemen’s western coastline.
The Hanish islands, located about 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, were taken after hundreds of government-allied forces reportedly withdrew from the area.
The capture follows the Houthis’ seizure of the nearby port city of Mokha and the island of Mayun, which sits directly inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Houthis Expand Control Near Key Shipping Route
The latest advances give the Houthis greater strategic influence over the Bab el-Mandeb, a narrow maritime passage linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean.
The route is particularly important for energy shipments and international trade, including Saudi oil exports to Asian markets.
The strategic importance of the waterway has increased further during the ongoing Iran war because the Bab el-Mandeb provides an alternative route to the Strait of Hormuz, another major global oil chokepoint.
The Houthi advances have also brought the rebels to within roughly 32 kilometres (20 miles) of a U.S. military base in Djibouti, located on the opposite side of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Growing Pressure on Saudi Arabia
For more than a month, the Houthis have intensified attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and shipping in and around the Red Sea.
The attacks have increased pressure on global energy markets and strengthened Iran’s leverage in its confrontation with the United States.
Saudi-backed Yemeni forces have attempted to halt the Houthi advance, but the rebels have made significant territorial gains with relatively limited resistance in several areas.
The Houthi movement has also continued launching cross-border attacks toward Saudi Arabia.
Saudi authorities activated air-raid sirens in the southern city of Abha and Khamis Mushait province on Sunday amid warnings of incoming attacks.
A Houthi military spokesman claimed the group had launched missiles and drones toward the King Khalid Air Base, targeting military installations. Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm the claim.
Saudi civil defence authorities separately reported that a projectile landed near the Yemen border along the Red Sea, injuring two people and damaging a mosque and other buildings. Saudi authorities blamed the Houthis for the incident.
Thousands of Yemenis Flee Fighting
The renewed Houthi offensive is pushing Yemen closer to a full-scale civil war after a truce that had largely kept the country relatively quiet since 2022.
Fighting has intensified not only along the Red Sea coast but also inland, particularly in Taiz province, a long-standing battlefield in Yemen’s conflict.
The Yemeni government’s Human Rights Ministry said about 150 civilians had been killed in fighting since September 3, while more than 200 others had been wounded.
Thousands of families have reportedly fled their homes in Taiz and neighbouring areas.
Humanitarian organisations say many displaced families left with little food or water, while some villages have reportedly been completely emptied.
The United Nations estimates that more than 80,000 people have been displaced over the past two weeks, including more than 2,000 who crossed the sea to Djibouti.
The latest fighting threatens to reopen a devastating conflict that has already killed more than 150,000 people over the past decade and pushed Yemen close to famine.
Government Forces Attempt to Regroup
Yemeni government forces have been attempting to regroup after suffering a series of setbacks along the country’s western coast.
The government military said it carried out airstrikes against Houthi positions in Mokha, Dhubab and other locations in Taiz province.
The Houthis, meanwhile, reported attacks by Saudi-backed forces in Taiz and artillery fire in Saada province, a Houthi stronghold near the Saudi border.
Sultan al-Arada, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, described the collapse of government positions in Mokha and other western coastal areas as painful and regrettable.
He said government forces were regrouping and would return to the fighting.
Presidential council chairman Rashad al-Alimi also sought to downplay the recent defeats, describing them as “incidental” in comments reported by Yemen’s state-run SABA news agency.
Al-Alimi said the government remained committed to restoring state institutions and reclaiming sovereignty over all of Yemen’s territory.
However, people fleeing the Houthi advance told The Associated Press that they witnessed government forces withdrawing from positions and urging civilians to flee.
Regional and Global Concerns Grow
The Houthi seizure of the Hanish islands, combined with their control of Mokha and Mayun, could significantly alter the security environment around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Any sustained disruption to the waterway could affect global shipping, energy supplies and international trade.
The developments also risk drawing Saudi Arabia and other regional powers back into a broader conflict with the Houthis, while increasing the strategic importance of Yemen in the wider confrontation involving Iran and the United States.
With thousands of civilians already displaced and government forces struggling to contain the Houthi advance, fears are growing that Yemen could once again become the centre of a major regional conflict.
