Houthis Seize Mayun Island in Bab el-Mandeb, Escalating Red Sea Shipping Threat

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have captured Mayun, a small volcanic island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, according to two officials. The advance follows the rebels' seizure of the Red Sea port city of Mokha a day earlier and further threatens shipping through one of the world's most important commercial corridors.

The island, also known as Perim, lies roughly 3.5 kilometres off Yemen's west coast. Its capture was confirmed by a senior military official with Yemen's internationally recognised government and by a Houthi official, both speaking on condition of anonymity.

Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes on Mokha's airport, a Houthi broadcaster said. No damage or casualties were immediately reported.

The Bab el-Mandeb carries about 12% of the world's goods in normal times and is particularly vital to Saudi Arabia, whose blockade of the Houthis has coincided with rebel attacks on Saudi shipping as the kingdom seeks to export oil from the region.

Iran's Foreign Ministry called for an end to the Saudi-led blockade of Yemen and an immediate return to negotiations between Riyadh and the Houthis, its first public statement since the rebels entered Mokha. Tehran said Yemen's sovereignty must be respected and that the country's problems cannot be resolved through blockade or military alliances, adding that it was ready to support talks.

Yemen's National Defence Council, chaired by President Rashad al-Alimi, condemned the Houthis' renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia and said it would respond to threats across the country.

Separately, the AI company Anthropic said it identified and blocked users in northern Yemen running weapons development programmes with its models. The accounts, active between December 2025 and August 2026, used Claude Code to develop guidance, navigation and control software for steering and stabilising flying vehicles, including flight simulations.

Anthropic said the users worked on a guided rocket using mobile phones to track targets autonomously, a multi-stage ballistic missile with a range exceeding 2,000 km, and a manoeuvring missile capable of gliding at hypersonic speed. The users test-fired a guided rocket and returned to the tool to diagnose the failure, the company said, adding there was no evidence they succeeded in fielding a device.

The Houthis, who control northern Yemen, have for years smuggled advanced weapons including cruise and ballistic missiles with ranges of at least 2,000 km and air and sea drones, despite a blockade and a UN arms embargo. Iran denies arming the rebels.