Houthi Rebels Grip Red Sea: New Island Seizures Tighten Hold on Shipping

In a move that has sent ripples through the Red Sea’s already choppy waters, Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced on Monday that they now control two more islands – Greater Hanish and Lesser Hanish – situated about 160 km (roughly 100 miles) north of the strategic Bab el‑Mandeb Strait.

According to unnamed Yemeni officials and a Houthi spokesperson, the islands were taken after government‑aligned troops pulled out, leaving the archipelago essentially vacant. The rebels quickly dispatched fighters to both islands, effectively turning them into forward outposts.

This latest sweep follows a string of Houthi successes over the past week: first, they seized the historic port city of Mokha, and then the tiny island of Mayun that sits inside the Bab el‑Mandeb waterway. Those captures already gave them a foothold in one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors.

Bab el‑Mandeb is more than a narrow strait; it’s a chokepoint that funnels thousands of vessels each day, linking the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. By anchoring themselves on the Hanish islands, the Houthis can monitor, threaten, or even disrupt traffic that otherwise slips through the strait.

For Saudi Arabia, which backs the internationally recognized Yemeni government, the development is a painful reminder of how the conflict is spilling beyond Yemen’s borders. On Sunday, Saudi‑aligned forces launched a series of strikes against Houthi positions along the Red Sea, while the rebels fired rockets into Saudi territory, underscoring the tit‑for‑tat escalation.

The United Nations estimates that nearly 86,000 Yemenis have fled their homes in recent weeks, a humanitarian fallout that deepens each time the fighting shifts to new frontlines. Meanwhile, global shipping companies are already fretting about higher insurance premiums and the spectre of delays as vessels either skirt the dangerous waters or seek alternative routes around the Cape of Good Hope.

Yemen’s government, clearly rattled, pledged to dispatch additional forces to the Red Sea coast. One senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the loss of Mokha and the Hanish islands as a “painful defeat” that threatens the country’s economic lifeline.

Analysts warn that the Houthis’ tightening grip could push the Red Sea into a new era of insecurity, especially if the group continues to target Saudi oil infrastructure and the broader shipping ecosystem. The world will be watching closely, waiting to see whether diplomatic overtures or military responses will reshape the balance of power in this vital maritime arena.