Houthis Reach Perim Island in Bab el-Mandeb as Yemeni Forces Vow Counter-Offensive
Houthi forces have reached Perim island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait after Yemeni government troops withdrew, as world oil prices hover near $100 a barrel.
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis reached the strategic island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Friday, according to four Yemeni government sources, in an advance that could tighten the group's hold over one of the world's most important shipping routes.
Earlier, two sources from the Saudi-backed, internationally recognised Yemeni government said its forces had pulled out of Perim and that the Houthis had also seized Dhubab, a Red Sea coastal town on the mainland facing the island.
Full Houthi control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — which sits on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula from the Strait of Hormuz — could hand their backer Iran a significant advantage in its war with the United States, cutting supplies through a second major transit corridor and pushing oil prices sharply higher.
Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has leaned on the Red Sea route since the Iran conflict effectively shut Hormuz, through which a fifth of global oil once flowed. Global crude prices were on course to close the week above $100 a barrel for the first time since mid-May, though they eased slightly on Friday after the Financial Times reported that Middle Eastern foreign ministers were trying to arrange a temporary arrangement to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The report could not be independently verified.
Government forces plan counter-offensive
Yemeni government forces signalled they would attempt to retake the areas captured by the Houthis during this week's lightning offensive along the Red Sea coastline. They said they would deploy weapons and aircraft to eliminate any movement of what they called "terrorist" Houthi militias in strategic areas, including the road leading to the coastal city of Mocha, which the group took on Thursday along with the Red Sea islands of Hanish.
Military spokesman Colonel Majed al-Nazili urged civilians to stay off the route between the city of Taiz and Mocha and to keep away from Houthi equipment. The Houthis, mountain fighters who endured years of devastating Saudi air strikes during Yemen's civil war, have shifted their focus in recent days from the north and the country's most populous areas towards control of Yemen's long coastline.
Reporting on Thursday said the Houthi push down the Red Sea coast came with direct guidance from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which are seeking to open a new front in Iran's war with the United States, according to Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources. Iran told the Houthis last week to escalate attacks on Saudi Arabia, a close US ally, and promised more funding, weapons and senior officers, two Iranian sources said. Tehran describes the Houthis as an ally but publicly denies giving them military direction, saying they are "not a proxy".
Saudi request for US strikes rejected
Saudi Arabia has been bombing Houthi targets in Yemen, but not the strategic areas the group has seized this week, raising questions about why Riyadh is not intervening more forcefully on behalf of its Yemeni government allies as Iranian arms and advice help the Houthis make significant gains.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called US President Donald Trump twice on Thursday and pressed him to launch strikes against the Houthis, Axios reported, citing two US officials. Trump turned down the request, and US officials said the administration does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time, according to the report. The United States is said to be increasingly concerned about the rapidly escalating conflict in Yemen and is stepping up support for Saudi Arabia while seeking to avoid direct military involvement.
Gulf foreign ministers plan to meet their Iranian counterpart on Monday in the Omani coastal city of Salalah, part of a push by Oman and Iran to secure backing for a temporary deal to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the Financial Times reported, citing two people briefed on the matter. That report could not be immediately verified.