Developments in Yemen are unfolding rapidly as the Houthis have successfully landed on the Perim Islands, which have now officially come under their control. This development places the Arabian Peninsula under Shiite control, effectively closing the Red Sea to maritime traffic, as an initial move involved deploying ballistic missile launchers capable of targeting ships.
This move would not have been possible without support from Iran, which had been supplying officers, FPVs, new missiles, and anti-tank weapons over the preceding two weeks.
This second front—aimed more at the US than at Arab nations—was opened just 24 hours after the Houthis launched their offensive against forces backed by Saudi Arabia and the US.
The Houthis advanced 80 km in 24 hours and now control the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, having seized an additional 2,600 square kilometers of territory as well as the city of Mocha.
Mercenaries, government troops, and Arab forces appear unable to defeat the Houthis, meaning the burden of halting the advance and recapturing the critical islands falls on the Americans.
However, even if they do retake them, they will find themselves exposed to Houthi ballistic missile fire—with all the implications that holds for the political cost to Donald Trump shortly before the midterm elections.
Earlier Houthi attacks on the Hanish Islands had forced government troops and their allies to retreat further south, toward Dubab. This location lies directly opposite Perim Island—a strategic point that, together with Dubab, effectively determines control over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait; this area is now controlled by the Shiites.
In fact, the defeat suffered by government forces was so severe that three brigades surrendered to the Houthi forces. Meanwhile, the rebel leadership is attempting to allay the fears of international shipping companies. Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam stated in a post on the X platform that navigation and trade in the region remain safe, maintaining that operations are limited to specific targets and will cease only if the offensive against Yemen is halted.
According to the rebels’ Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center, Red Sea waters remain open to all shipping companies—with the sole explicit exception of vessels linked to Saudi interests—yet in practice, no one dares to make the passage anymore.
Riyadh’s military response was delivered via air power. As reported by the Houthi-aligned television channel Almasirah, the Saudi air force launched ten strikes in Taiz province, in the western part of the country. The tension between Saudi Arabia’s allies and the rebels effectively opens a second front in the region—alongside the one involving Iran—directly threatening the stability of global energy supplies.
