Along the narrow throat of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, where ancient trade winds once guided merchant vessels between continents, Iran-backed Houthi forces have seized the port of Mokha, Perim Island, and the coastal town of Dhubab — placing some of the world's most consequential shipping lanes under the control of a militia at war with Yemen's internationally recognized government. The captures mark the most significant Houthi territorial advance since a UN ceasefire in 2022, arriving precisely as the Red Sea has grown indispensable to global commerce amid disruptions elsewhere. What unfolds he
Houthis seize strategic Red Sea ports, threatening global shipping routes
Yemen's civil war has killed over 150,000 people and brought others to the brink of famine.
The Houthis now command the chokepoints of global trade
Mark
So the Houthis control Mokha now. How much does that actually matter for shipping?
Mimi
It matters enormously. Mokha sits on the Red Sea, which has become the main alternative to the Strait of Hormuz because of US-Iran tensions. The Houthis already have a track record of attacking ships there.
Luke
But wait—the Houthi spokesperson said operations would be limited to specific targets. Do we know if that's a real constraint or just messaging?
Mimi
That's the thing. They've attacked international shipping before in the name of Gaza solidarity. So their words and their actions haven't always aligned.
Mark
What about the pipeline closure? Is that temporary or a sign things are escalating?
Mimi
Saudi Arabia called it precautionary, but it's the East-West pipeline—the whole point of that route is to bypass Hormuz. If it stays closed, you're back to depending on the Strait of Hormuz or finding other ways around.
Luke
And we don't actually know how long the closure will last, right? Or whether the damage from the drone strikes was serious?
Mimi
Right. Saudi said there were injuries but didn't detail the damage. The drones came from Iraq, according to them, but that's one government's claim.
Mark
How does this fit into the bigger Yemen picture?
Mimi
The Houthis control the capital and much of the north and west already. This is them consolidating control of the coast—the most valuable real estate in the country.
Luke
And the government is backed by Saudi Arabia but losing territory. That's a pretty clear trajectory.
Mark
So what happens next?
Mimi
If the Houthis keep taking territory and the fighting stays intense, you're looking at prolonged instability in one of the world's most critical shipping zones.
Luke
And 150,000 people are already dead from this war. That's the human cost underneath all the geopolitics.
El Pulso
- Houthi forces have taken Mokha, Perim Island, and Dhubab in rapid succession, giving them commanding positions over the Bab el-Mandeb strait — one of the narrowest and most critical chokepoints in global shipping.
- Saudi-backed Yemeni government troops withdrew from Perim Island without resistance, signaling a collapse of defensive resolve along a coastline that both sides now recognize as the war's decisive front.
- On the same day Mokha fell, Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West pipeline after drone strikes near Riyadh and Medina, compressing the crisis from a regional conflict into a direct threat to global oil infrastructure.
- Despite Houthi assurances that international navigation will remain safe, the group's documented history of attacking Red Sea shipping — framed as solidarity with Gaza — offers little comfort to insurers, shippers, or oil markets already strained by US-Iran tensions.
- With the Houthis already holding Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, their coastal gains suggest the war is entering a new and more dangerous phase, one in which control of shoreline and sea lane has become the ultimate prize.
Along the narrow throat of the Bab el-Mandeb strait, where ancient trade winds once guided merchant vessels between continents, Iran-backed Houthi forces have seized the port of Mokha, Perim Island, and the coastal town of Dhubab — placing some of the world's most consequential shipping lanes under the control of a militia at war with Yemen's internationally recognized government. The captures mark the most significant Houthi territorial advance since a UN ceasefire in 2022, arriving precisely as the Red Sea has grown indispensable to global commerce amid disruptions elsewhere. What unfolds here is not merely a local military contest but a reminder that the arteries of the modern world economy run through places where fragile states and great-power rivalries converge.
The Houthi militia has seized Mokha, a port city on Yemen's Red Sea coast, along with Perim Island — which sits directly within the Bab el-Mandeb strait — and the nearby coastal town of Dhubab. The captures represent the Iran-backed group's most consequential territorial advance since a UN-brokered ceasefire took hold in 2022, and they place Houthi forces in command of chokepoints through which a significant share of global trade passes each day.
Mokha lies roughly fifty miles north of the strait itself, while Perim Island occupies the waterway directly. Dhubab, closer to the passage's narrowest section, fell alongside them. Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces confirmed the losses on Friday; their troops withdrew from Perim without a fight. The Red Sea has grown steadily more vital to international commerce as US-Iran tensions have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil prices higher and making the Red Sea route an essential alternative. Houthi control of these positions now threatens that lifeline.
A Houthi spokesperson told Reuters that freedom of navigation would be respected and that only specific vessels would be targeted — a reassurance undermined by the group's long record of attacking international shipping in the Red Sea, actions it has framed as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The same day Mokha fell, Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West pipeline after drone strikes near Riyadh and Medina caused injuries. Saudi officials attributed the drones to Iraq; the Houthis, meanwhile, accused Saudi forces of launching ten strikes on the Dhubab district — the very territory they had just captured.
The escalation unfolds against the full weight of Yemen's catastrophe: more than 150,000 dead over the course of the civil war, millions pushed toward famine, and a government headquartered in Aden that has been steadily losing ground despite Saudi military and financial backing. The Houthis already control Sanaa and much of the country's populated north and west. Their latest gains along the coast suggest the conflict will deepen rather than resolve, and the question facing the international community has shifted — from whether the Red Sea remains stable, to how long global commerce can endure while its most critical waterways become contested prizes in a widening regional struggle.
The Houthis have seized control of Mokha, a port city on Yemen's Red Sea coast, along with Perim Island and the coastal town of Dhubab. The captures represent the Iran-backed militia's most significant territorial expansion since a UN-brokered ceasefire took hold in 2022, and they place the group in command of critical chokepoints along the Bab el-Mandeb strait—one of the world's most essential shipping corridors.
Mokha sits roughly 50 miles up the Red Sea from the strait itself, while Perim Island occupies the waterway directly. Dhubab, positioned south of Mokha and closer to the narrowest section of the passage, fell to Houthi forces as well. Yemeni government sources, backed by Saudi Arabia, confirmed the losses on Friday after the Houthis took Mokha on Thursday. Saudi-backed government forces withdrew from Perim without a fight.
The Red Sea has become increasingly vital to global commerce. As tensions between the United States and Iran have disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—sending oil prices higher—the Red Sea route has emerged as a critical alternative. Houthi control of these strategic points now threatens that lifeline. A Houthi spokesperson told Reuters that freedom of navigation and international trade would remain safe, claiming operations would target only specific vessels. But the group has a history of attacking international shipping in the Red Sea, framing such strikes as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The territorial gains come amid a sharp escalation in fighting between the Houthis and Yemen's internationally recognized government after four years of relative stability. The Houthis already control Sanaa, Yemen's capital, and hold much of the country's more densely populated northern and western regions. The government, headquartered in the southern city of Aden and sustained by Saudi military and financial support, has been steadily losing ground.
On the same day Mokha fell, Saudi Arabia temporarily shut down its East-West pipeline—the crucial artery that runs across the Arabian Peninsula from the Persian Gulf to the Red Sea, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz entirely. The closure came after drone strikes hit the pipeline near Riyadh and Medina. Saudi officials said the attacks caused injuries and that the drones originated from Iraq. The Houthis, meanwhile, accused Saudi Arabia of launching ten strikes on the Dhubab district in Taiz province, the same area where their newly captured territory lies.
The intensifying conflict unfolds against the backdrop of Yemen's broader catastrophe. The country's civil war has killed more than 150,000 people and pushed millions toward famine. The Houthis' latest gains suggest the fighting will deepen rather than ease, with both sides now competing fiercely for control of Yemen's coastline and the shipping lanes that border it. The question facing the international community is no longer whether the Red Sea remains stable—it is how much longer global commerce can function as these strategic ports and waterways become prizes in a regional power struggle.
Citas Notables
Freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and the Strait remain safe, with operations limited to specific targets— Houthi spokesperson Abdulsalam, via Reuters
The East-West pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions was subjected to several attacks and was stopped as a precaution— Saudi official, via SPA news agency
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en Deutsche Welle ↗
War & Conflict