Houthis seize island near Red Sea chokepoint as Saudi pipeline shuts after attack
Yemeni government sources said Houthi fighters have reached Perim island, a strategic outpost at the mouth of the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandab shipping lane, in
Yemeni government sources said Houthi fighters have reached Perim island, a strategic outpost at the mouth of the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandab shipping lane, in a lightning advance that could sharpen pressure on one of the world’s most important energy and trade routes. The move came as Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West oil pipeline after a separate attack.
Sources also said the Houthis took the nearby coastal town of Dhubab, raising the stakes around a narrow stretch of water that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and onward to global shipping lanes. Government forces said they would try to retake the captured areas. The reported gains on Perim, if confirmed, would hand the Iran-backed group a stronger position over traffic passing through the corridor.
Pressure on a vital lane
Perim sits close to Bab al-Mandab, a chokepoint used by tankers and cargo ships moving between Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean. Any disruption there can ripple far beyond Yemen, unsettling insurers, shippers and energy markets already on edge from repeated attacks around the region.
The latest advance comes as Gulf energy infrastructure faces fresh strain. Saudi Arabia temporarily shut its East-West pipeline after attacks, according to state media reports cited in earlier coverage, cutting one of the kingdom’s key routes for moving oil across the country. The timing matters. Saudi oil flows are central to global supply, and any threat to alternative export paths can quickly feed broader market anxiety.
Regional escalation widens
The developments add to a wider cycle of confrontation involving Iran, the United States and allied regional forces. Iran has warned of retaliation after US strikes and said energy assets in the Gulf remain vulnerable. Tehran has also threatened what it described as a new restricted or exclusion zone in the Persian Gulf, underscoring the risk that shipping routes could become bargaining chips in a broader standoff.
For the Houthis, reaching Perim and Dhubab could offer both military leverage and symbolic weight. For Saudi Arabia, the pipeline shutdown is another reminder that even routes far from the battlefield can be exposed. For governments in the region, the immediate question is whether the Yemeni forces can hold the ground or whether a counter-offensive will come quickly.
Government forces said they are preparing to try to take back the lost areas. Around the chokepoint, that leaves one hard fact hanging over the water: the next move could hit a lane that carries a major share of the world’s seaborne energy trade.
