13 September 2026 Geopolitics Yemen
Houthis take control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait
Pro-Iranian Houthi rebels launched a lightning offensive and took control of the Yemeni coast on the Red Sea as well as the strategic island of Mayun (Perim), consolidating their grip on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Approximately 1,400 Yemenis fled to Djibouti within 24 hours and tens of thousands of people were displaced by the intensification of fighting with government forces.