Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reached the strategic island of Perim at the southern entrance to the Red Sea on Friday, expanding a rapid offensive that could give the group greater control over one of the world’s most important shipping corridors.
Four Yemeni government sources said Houthi forces had reached Perim, which lies in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between Yemen and Djibouti. Earlier, two sources from Yemen’s Saudi-backed, internationally recognised government said government troops had withdrawn from the island.
The Houthis also captured the nearby coastal town of Dhubab on the Yemeni mainland, according to the sources.
The advance threatens to tighten Houthi control over the Bab el-Mandeb, a narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. The development comes as the Strait of Hormuz, on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula, has already been severely disrupted by the wider conflict involving Iran and the United States.
Control or sustained disruption of both maritime routes could sharply restrict oil and commercial shipping through the region and increase pressure on global energy markets.
Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on Red Sea export routes after Iranian actions effectively curtailed traffic through Hormuz, which previously handled roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption.
Satellite imagery reviewed by Reuters also showed black smoke on Thursday near Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline, a critical route used by Riyadh to move crude from its eastern oilfields to Red Sea terminals.
There was no immediate confirmation from Saudi authorities that the pipeline had been attacked or damaged. The Saudi government media office and state oil producer Aramco did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Aramco has stepped up use of the East-West pipeline since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began six months ago, allowing Saudi crude exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.
Saudi crude supply fell by 2.3 million barrels per day in August to around 6 million bpd, its lowest level in more than three decades, according to the International Energy Agency. The decline was partly linked to attacks on vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb by groups associated with the Houthis.
Oil prices were meanwhile on course to finish the week above $100 a barrel for the first time since mid-May.
Preliminary shipping data also showed just seven vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, down from 11 a day earlier and below the recent average.
Government forces prepare counter-offensive
Yemeni government forces said they were preparing to retake positions lost during the Houthi advance along the Red Sea coast.
Military officials said weapons and aircraft would be deployed against Houthi movements in strategic areas, including the road leading to the port city of Mocha, which the group captured on Thursday along with the Hanish islands.
Colonel Majed al-Nazili, a government military spokesman, urged civilians to avoid the Taiz-Mocha road and stay away from Houthi military equipment.
The rapid offensive has significantly expanded Houthi control along Yemen’s western coastline.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the operation had been conducted with direct guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, citing Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources.
Two Iranian sources said Tehran had urged the Houthis to intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia and had promised additional funding, weapons and senior military officers.
Iran describes the Houthis as an ally but denies directing their military operations, insisting the group is not an Iranian proxy.
Trump rejects Saudi request for US strikes
The developments have also increased pressure on Saudi Arabia, which has carried out airstrikes against Houthi positions but has not yet struck some of the strategic areas seized during the latest offensive.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman spoke with US President Donald Trump twice on Thursday and urged Washington to launch strikes against the Houthis, Axios reported, citing two US officials.
Trump rejected the request, according to the report, and US officials said Washington did not currently plan to directly enter the fighting against the group.
The White House did not immediately comment on the Axios report.
A regional source, however, said Trump was considering possible options and that the United States was providing assistance with targeting Houthi positions.
Washington is reportedly seeking to increase support for Riyadh while avoiding direct military involvement in Yemen as the wider regional conflict escalates.
Separately, Gulf foreign ministers are expected to meet Iran’s foreign minister in Oman on Monday as part of efforts to negotiate a temporary arrangement governing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The talks, expected to take place in the coastal city of Salalah, come as pressure grows to prevent further disruption to two of the Middle East’s most important maritime chokepoints.
