Houthis Capture Key Island in Red Sea, Consolidate Control Over Strategic Waterway

The Houthis continue to march towards Bab al-Mandeb. After Mocha City, the Houthis have captured an island called Mayun. The Houthis are consolidating their hold on the Red Sea and Bob al-Mandeb. According to reports, on Friday, the Houthis captured a key island in the Red Sea. Local government officials and witnesses reported that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait area was further consolidated. The Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces withdrew from Mayun Island yesterday, after which armed Houthi fighters arrived in boats. The island is also known as Perim and divides the strait into two shipping lanes. An eyewitness says that gunmen are "deploying on the shores of Bab al-Mandeb" and that military vehicles are "roaming the sandy straits of Bab al-Mandeb" due to its strategic location.