Yemen's Houthi forces have seized Perim Island, a strategically located island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as the regional conflict places increasing pressure on another major international shipping route.
The Houthis also advanced into nearby Dhubab on the Yemeni mainland.
Why Perim matters
Perim Island sits within the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea.
The strait connects:
- the Red Sea;
- the Gulf of Aden; and
- onward maritime routes through the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
It is therefore an important route for international shipping, including energy and container traffic.
A second maritime pressure point
The development is particularly significant because shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is already severely disrupted.
Pressure around Bab el-Mandeb therefore raises concern that two strategically important maritime routes could simultaneously face substantial security disruption.
The seizure of Perim Island increases the Houthis' ability to threaten shipping, but does not establish uncontested control over all vessel movements through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.