Houthi Fighters Seize Strategic Mayyun Island at Southern Red Sea Chokepoint
Iranian-backed Houthi forces completed their military seizure of Mayyun Island (Perim Island) inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after Yemeni government forces withdrew from defensive garrisons. The seizure caps an offensive along the Red Sea coast that overran the port of Mokha. The advance places Houthi anti-ship batteries in direct control of the maritime passage linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, prompting retaliatory Saudi airstrikes.
Date: September 11, 2026
Location: Bab el-Mandeb / Taiz, Yemen
Conflict: Red Sea Crisis
Category: ground battle
Severity: CRITICAL
Displaced: 46,000
Source: Reuters / The Times of Israel