Houthis seize Perim Island, tightening grip on global shipping’s most vulnerable chokepoint

On September 11, 2026, Houthi forces took control of Perim Island, a 13-square-kilometer landmass sitting at the center of the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The seizure came just one day after the group captured the port city of Mokha, suggesting a coordinated offensive along Yemen’s Red Sea coast rather than opportunistic skirmishing. Pro-government forces apparently retreated from the island without a prolonged fight, handing the Houthis a strategic prize that most military planners would have considered a nightmare scenario even a year ago. Why a small island matters enormously Perim Island sits directly in the Bab al-Mandab bottleneck, physically dividing the strait into two navigable channels. The strait handles an estimated 10 to 12 percent of global seaborne trade during stable periods. That figure includes a substantial share of Europe-bound oil and Asian consumer goods. Whoever controls Perim Island holds a position from which they can monitor, harass, or threaten virtually every vessel passing through both channels. Analyst Ahmed Nagi noted that the Houthi takeover places their forces roughly 90 kilometers closer to the strait than their previous positions. In practical terms, th...