Houthis seize key Red Sea island, complete takeover of Bab el-Mandeb area, says official

By AFP 11 September 2026, 11:18 am

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Yemen’s Houthi rebels march during a mobilization campaign in Sanaa, Yemen, September 10, 2026. (AP)

Yemen’s Houthis took over a key island in the Red Sea today, completing their push to seize control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait area, a local government official and eyewitnesses tell AFP.

“Boats carrying armed Houthi fighters reached Mayyun Island after government forces withdrew from it yesterday,” the official says, referring to an island also known as Perim that divides the strait into two shipping lanes.

An eyewitness says gunmen were “deploying along the Bab al-Mendeb shore and are driving around in military vehicles.”