Yemen’s Houthis reached the strategic island of Perim, also known as Mayun, at the mouth of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday, four Yemeni government sources told Reuters. Two Saudi-backed government sources said internationally recognised forces withdrew from the island and that Houthis also took the mainland coastal town of Dhubab, which faces Perim.
The Friday island move followed Thursday’s capture of coastal Mocha and the Red Sea Hanish islands in the same lightning advance, previously reported with Iranian Revolutionary Guard guidance. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said maritime navigation remained safe for all shipping except Saudi vessels under a previously announced ban. Analysts caution that holding Mocha, Dhubab, and Perim would strengthen the ability to contest commercial use of Bab el-Mandeb without conferring sovereign control of the entire strait, whose western littoral lies outside Yemen.
Sources: Reuters via Al-Monitor (Ghobari / Abouhassira / Ghania; reached Perim; withdrew; Dhubab); Reuters MFA/Gulf cluster (identical Perim/Dhubab grafs); NBC News (stronger captured/control framing; Krieg caution; Saree quote); Al-Monitor analysis (secondary seizure language).
