Yemen’s Houthi movement seized Perim Island, at the narrowest point of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on September 11, 2026, after Yemeni government forces withdrew from the island a day earlier. The Iran-backed militia’s ground offensive has reached the Bab al-Mandab, a Red Sea strait that is a choke point for global trade. Key points and original sources are listed below.

• Yemen’s Houthi movement seized Perim Island, at the narrowest point of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, on September 11, 2026, after Yemeni government forces withdrew from the island a day earlier. Four Yemeni government sources told Reuters that Houthi fighters reac...S1

• The Iran-backed militia’s ground offensive has reached the Bab al-Mandab, a Red Sea strait that is a choke point for global trade.S2