# Houthis Complete Bab el‑Mandeb Takeover, Tightening Grip on Global Shipping Chokepoint

*Friday, September 11, 2026 at 10:05 AM UTC — Hamer Intelligence Services Desk*

**Published**: 2026-09-11T10:05:44.308Z (1h ago)
**Category**: geopolitics | **Region**: Middle East
**Importance**: 10/10
**Sources**: OSINT
**Permalink**: https://hamerintel.com/data/articles/17523.md
**Source**: https://hamerintel.com/summaries

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**Deck**: Houthi forces have seized Perim (Mayyun) Island and reached the Yemeni port city of Dhubab, moves that regional and wire‑service reports say complete their control over the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait, a 29‑kilometre‑wide corridor for about a tenth of global seaborne trade.

Control of the Bab el‑Mandeb Strait has shifted decisively toward Yemen’s Houthi movement, putting one of the world’s key shipping chokepoints under the control of a non‑state armed group.

Yemeni and international media reports on 11 September said Houthi forces have seized Perim (also known as Mayyun) Island and taken control of Dhubab, the coastal city that sits directly on the strait. Al Jazeera, citing official sources in Yemen and the French news agency, reported that these gains give the Houthis full control over Bab el‑Mandeb, the narrow southern gateway to the Red Sea. Other outlets described the same outcome: the Houthis completing their control of the strait after capturing Perim and advancing along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

Perim Island sits roughly in the middle of a 29‑kilometre‑wide channel that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Together with Houthi positions along almost the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast, its capture allows them to dominate the main route for ships heading to and from the Suez Canal. One military summary account put the stakes plainly, noting that the movement has now completed its takeover of Bab el‑Mandeb, a route that carries about 10% of global seaborne trade.

The strategic and economic implications are immediate. The strait is a transit lane for oil and container traffic between Asia and Europe. With the Houthis entrenched on both the island and the adjacent mainland, any decision they make about targeting, boarding or simply threatening vessels has the potential to delay or divert cargoes. Pro‑Iranian channels openly celebrated the seizure and suggested it could drive oil prices higher, even as some reports noted that prices were falling at the time.

Global energy markets are already tight. The International Energy Agency has reported a 95‑million‑barrel plunge in global oil inventories in August and pushed back expectations of a full recovery in Gulf oil supplies to 2027. Removing security and predictability from a route that feeds into this strained system is an added shock. A separate assessment warned that Houthi capture of the Hanish Islands and advances along Yemen’s Red Sea coast have positioned the group to block Bab el‑Mandeb and helped push oil above $108 a barrel, though this price spike was described in the context of broader regional tensions.

There are wider knock‑on effects. A detailed brief on the Perim seizure called it arguably the most strategically significant territorial gain of the entire Yemen war, precisely because of its leverage over a global shipping artery. The same analysis noted that the Houthis now control nearly the entire Yemeni Red Sea coast and framed their Bab el‑Mandeb gains as reshaping the war’s balance. IRGC‑linked media accounts have been quick to highlight this, presenting Houthi control of the strait as part of a broader axis strategy.

The takeover also feeds back into other regional flashpoints. Iranian‑backed Houthi media said Saudi airstrikes have already hit rebel‑held Mokha airport in Yemen, an indication that Riyadh is willing to use force against Houthi infrastructure on the coast. Another report described how the internationally recognised Presidential Leadership Council is preparing Saudi‑supplied multiple‑launch rocket systems, including rare Croatian‑made RAK‑SA‑12 units with Serbian and Chinese rockets, to attack Houthi positions in Taiz.

For other states, the new reality at Bab el‑Mandeb comes on top of mounting pressure around the Strait of Hormuz, where Gulf foreign ministers are expected to meet Iran’s foreign minister in Oman to discuss a temporary shipping arrangement. Together, these two corridors frame much of the Middle East’s seaborne energy traffic. With the Houthis tightening their grip on one and Iran influencing the other, Gulf producers, shipping companies and insurers are all being forced to reassess how they route and price cargoes.

The next inflection points will come from the sea and from capitals. Any move by major carriers to divert large volumes around the Cape of Good Hope, a spike in attacks or interdictions near Perim, or new naval escort arrangements through Bab el‑Mandeb would signal that Houthi control has shifted from a strategic fact to an operational crisis for global trade.