Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis took control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Friday, after capturing an island located in the middle of the crucial Red Sea waterway, a local government official and eyewitnesses said. "Boats carrying armed Houthi fighters reached Mayyun Island after government forces withdrew from it yesterday," the official said, referring to a rocky volcanic island also known as Perim that divides the narrowest part of the strait into two shipping lanes. "The Houthis have completed their takeover of the Bab el-Mandeb area and Mayyun Island, which is located in the middle of the strait," he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
An eyewitness said gunmen were "deploying along the Bab el-Mandeb shore and are driving around in military vehicles." Further reports emerged on Friday that the group also seized the town of Dhubab and the coastal village of Murad, meaning that all of Yemen's Red Sea coast was now under Houthi control in an 18-hour blitz. Government military sources said that the Houthis have besieged government troops on the Hanish islands, following earlier reports that the Zuqar island — the largest of the three major islands in the Red Sea archipelago further north from Bab el-Mandeb — was already captured. They said they were unsure about the status of their soldiers, who number more than 2,000, but believe the Houthis have ordered them to surrender.
A senior military official said that the besieged forces have appealed to authorities for "rescue, food and water, and the lifting of the siege, which would require air support". On Thursday, Houthis captured the strategic port city of Mokha from government forces in a blitz offensive that also saw them taking control of Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea "after rocket attacks and a ground assault carried out using boats transporting fighters," according to military sources. By Thursday evening, multiple videos appeared online of Houthi fighters' apparent celebrations in Mokha and their seizure of considerable weapons and equipment left behind by government forces.
Euronews could not verify the authenticity of the footage. The Houthis, who controlled about one-third of Yemen's territory prior to the offensive, have previously targeted shipping in the narrow waterway which links Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal. Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb account for more than one quarter of seaborne crude oil and petroleum trade.
Nearly one-third of the world's container traffic passes through the Red Sea alone. The Houthis have also reportedly consulted with Tehran on imposing a safe passage toll through the strait over the summer, in an apparent plot to further strain global economies. Yemen's internationally recognised government has repeatedly warned of Houthi plans for taking control of the waterway, whose name in Arabic means "Gate of Tears".
Yet a member of the Houthis' politburo on Friday sought to allay global fears for international shipping, stating the group posed "no danger" to Red Sea cargo routes. "Freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab are safe and orderly," Hazem al-Assad told the Al-Araby al-Jadeed news outlet. "There is no cause for international concern, as they face no danger from the Yemeni side." The Houthis corrected this statement to say Saudi Arabia remains an exception.
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