The Red Sea

Houthis hold Bab al-Mandab. Mayyun Island is theirs.

Yemen’s whole Red Sea coast. Traffic halved to 15 crossings. Saudi’s pipeline is shut.

The Rocket News · World War Desk · Sanaa / MayyunSeptember 12, 2026 · 5 min read

Black smoke and orange fire at a southern Saudi energy site after Houthi strikes. No figures in the frame.

Houthi fighters hold Yemen’s side of the Bab al-Mandab and the island in the middle of it. Mayyun — Perim — fell Friday after government forces withdrew. Greater and Lesser Hanish followed. A Saudi-backed official told AFP the takeover of the strait was complete. “Everything that was under our control on the western coast has fallen,” a military official said. The War desk files a second chokepoint. Hormuz was the first.

Ship traffic through Bab al-Mandab halved to 15 crossings on Friday from 30, The National reported — crude, grain, steel. Mokha fell Thursday. Dhubab sits on the shore. Whoever holds Mayyun watches every hull bound for Suez. A Houthi politburo member said navigation was “safe and orderly.” Except, other officials said, for Saudi vessels. Riyadh shut the East-West pipeline after drones hit the line. Axios: Trump rejected a Saudi ask for U.S. strikes on the Houthis.

The Houthis have completed their takeover of the Bab al-Mandab area and Mayyun Island.

Video

WATCH: Houthis Release Aftermath Footage From Strategic Bab al-Mandab Coast · Times Now World · Watch on Times Now World

Two straits. Iran’s partners now sit on both. Diesel in America is still a record. Monday the Gulf sits with Iran in Salalah. The War desk files the island as it is: in the channel, under a flag Washington did not put there.

Wire and further reading: thenationalnews.com

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