Yemen’s Houthi movement captured the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands, extending its reach across the southern Red Sea approaches to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The advance followed the fall of Mokha and Mayun and puts additional pressure on a shipping route that had become an alternative to disrupted passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Government and Houthi officials confirmed the deployment after Saudi-backed forces withdrew, while Yemeni units said they were trying to regroup north of the strait.
The reported sequence is specific. Associated Press reporting on Monday said Houthi fighters had taken Greater and Lesser Hanish. The islands sit roughly 160 kilometers north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Two Yemeni government officials and one Houthi official said fighters deployed after hundreds of government-aligned troops withdrew. The capture followed Houthi gains at the mainland port of Mokha and the island of Mayun inside the strait. Saudi-backed Yemeni forces said they were advancing toward Dhubab as they attempted to regroup. The new positions are about 32 kilometers from the U.S. military base in Djibouti across the strait.
The remaining factual record adds operational detail. Saudi oil shipments had increased their reliance on the Red Sea after attacks constrained traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. A Saudi pipeline feeding the Red Sea route had also been shut after a drone attack traced by Iraqi authorities to Iraqi territory. Houthi attacks on Saudi infrastructure and shipping have added risk to supply routes without establishing that all Red Sea traffic has stopped. The International Organization for Migration reported that more than 82,000 people had been displaced in Yemen since the beginning of September in an earlier Sunday count. The latest advance follows a truce period that had largely quieted Yemen’s civil war for about three years. Reuters reporting earlier in the advance and Axios reporting on U.S.-Saudi discussions independently described the islands and shipping corridor as strategically important.
The surrounding context helps define what the report does and does not establish. Bab el-Mandeb links the Red Sea and Suez route with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Mayun lies within the strait, while the Hanish group extends the area from which forces can observe or threaten approaches farther north. Control of land or islands does not automatically equal complete control of commercial navigation, which also depends on weapons reach, naval patrols and shipping decisions. The Houthis are backed by Iran, while Yemen’s internationally recognized government is supported by Saudi Arabia. The United States and Iran are in an active conflict in the reporting period, making attacks on Saudi infrastructure part of a wider regional escalation. Humanitarian consequences and maritime consequences are linked but require separate evidence: displacement counts measure people forced from homes, not shipping capacity.
Some points remain unresolved. The exact weapons deployed on the newly captured islands were not independently verified. Commercial traffic volumes and insurer responses had not been fully reported after Monday’s capture. Officials spoke partly on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters. The next verifiable developments are Whether Saudi-backed forces retake positions around Dhubab or the islands. Changes in tanker routing, insurance terms and naval deployments near Bab el-Mandeb. Updated displacement figures and access for humanitarian organizations.