Houthis seize strategic Mayun Island in Bab al-Mandab Strait

Aden (Yemen): Yemen’s Houthi group seized the strategic Mayun Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait on Friday after government troops withdrew, a local government official told Xinhua.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Houthi forces had arrived on the island early Friday aboard several boats and took control without military resistance. The Houthis also deployed armoured vehicles and other military equipment along the nearby coast, he said.

Houthi forces have also advanced into Dhubab district near the strait after government troops withdrew southward following the Houthis’ capture of the Red Sea port city of Mocha on Thursday, the official said.

Mayun, also known as Perim, lies inside the Bab al-Mandab and divides the narrow waterway into two shipping channels. Its capture, following the Houthis’ recent advances along Yemen’s western coast, gives the group control of key positions overlooking the vital maritime trade route linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Houthis captured Mocha after fierce fighting and took control of its strategic port, airport and key government facilities. They have made rapid territorial gains along Yemen’s western coast since launching a major offensive last week.

The Bab al-Mandab, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, is a critical corridor for international trade and energy shipments, linking the Red Sea and Suez Canal with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg on Thursday warned that the renewed war in Yemen risks dragging the country into wider and unresolved regional confrontation with global repercussions.

Over the past 24 hours, fighting has intensified across multiple front lines in Yemen, especially on the strategic west coast. The Houthis launched a major offensive, including on Mokha, the port city that lies roughly 75 km from Bab al-Mandeb, the chokepoint linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden through which a substantial share of global trade and energy passes, Grundberg told the Security Council in a briefing.

“As of right now, they have gained control of Mokha, giving them a direct presence on the approaches to one of the world’s most vital straits, although fighting is ongoing and the situation remains fluid,” he said via a video link. “This development is raising serious concerns within the international community about the threat to freedom of navigation.”

The renewed war effectively marks the end of the relative calm that Yemen has experienced for over four years since the UN-brokered truce. It not only threatens to plunge Yemen into a prolonged and expanding war, but also risks dragging the country into the wider and unresolved regional confrontation, with global repercussions, Grundberg said.

IANS