A source in the Yemeni government told The National that Perim Island had come under Houthi control. According to him, the rebels “took everything”, and “the entire western region has fallen”.
According to the source, it is unknown exactly when Perim was seized. Over the past few days, the Houthis have been rapidly advancing along the Red Sea coast and pushing out Yemeni government forces.
The day before, the rebels had already seized the port city of Mokha on Yemen’s Red Sea coast. Perim Island is located in the very center of the narrow shipping channel, so its seizure gave the Houthis de facto control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
International Crisis Group analyst Ahmed Nagi called the seizure of Perim a “turning point”. According to him, before, the Houthis could only attack ships or threaten them with attacks, but now they control the land and the islands around Bab el-Mandeb.
Houthi spokesman Yahya Saria did not announce the seizure of Perim, but said that forces linked to Saudi Arabia had been pushed out of more than five thousand square kilometers of territory. For Saudi Arabia, the seizure of Perim will be a serious blow: after the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the country redirected up to 75% of its available exports to the port of Yanbu in the Red Sea.
Saudi Arabia has already faced Houthi attacks on tankers and energy infrastructure. Houthi control of the strait also strengthens Iran’s position in the war with the United States: Tehran has already restricted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and its allies now control the second key route for oil exports from the Middle East. Against this backdrop, Brent crude rose above $109 per barrel on September 10, and remained at $104 on September 11.
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