Houthi fighters reached Perim Island which divides the Bab el-Mandeb into two shipping lanes after government forces withdrew, completing the group's takeover of the strait.
asserted
forces → reach → strait
Together with Iran's Hormuz blockade, this puts roughly a third of the world's seaborne trade under hostile control.
asserted
this → put → control
Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis took control of the Bab el-Mandeb strait on Friday, after capturing an island located in the middle of the crucial Red Sea waterway, a local government official and eyewitnesses said.
asserted
official → back → waterway
"Boats carrying armed Houthi fighters reached Mayyun Island after government forces withdrew from it yesterday," the official said, referring to a rocky volcanic island also known as Perim that divides the narrowest part of the strait into two shipping lanes.
asserted
that → carry → lanes
"The Houthis have completed their takeover of the Bab el-Mandeb area and Mayyun Island, which is located in the middle of the strait," he added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
asserted
he → complete → anonymity
An eyewitness said gunmen were "deploying along the Bab el-Mandeb shore and are driving around in military vehicles."
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gunmen → say → vehicles
Further reports emerged on Friday that the group also seized the town of Dhubab and the coastal village of Murad, meaning that all of Yemen's Red Sea coast was now under Houthi control in an 18-hour blitz.
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all → emerge → blitz
Government military sources said that the Houthis have besieged government troops on the Hanish islands, following earlier reports that the Zuqar island — the largest of the three major islands in the Red Sea archipelago further north from Bab el-Mandeb — was already captured.
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island → say → Mandeb
They said they were unsure about the status of their soldiers, who number more than 2,000, but believe the Houthis have ordered them to surrender.
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Houthis → say → them
A senior military official said that the besieged forces have appealed to authorities for "rescue, food and water, and the lifting of the siege, which would require air support".
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which → say → support
On Thursday, Houthis captured the strategic port city of Mokha from government forces in a blitz offensive that also saw them taking control of Zuqar Island in the southern Red Sea "after rocket attacks and a ground assault carried out using boats transporting fighters," according to military sources.
uncertain
them → capture → sources
By Thursday evening, multiple videos appeared online of Houthi fighters' apparent celebrations in Mokha and their seizure of considerable weapons and equipment left behind by government forces.
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videos → appear → forces
Euronews could not verify the authenticity of the footage.
uncertain
Euronews → verify → footage
The Houthis, who controlled about one-third of Yemen's territory prior to the offensive, have previously targeted shipping in the narrow waterway which links Asia to Europe via the Red Sea and Suez Canal.
asserted
which → control → Sea
Nearly one-third of the world's container traffic passes through the Red Sea alone.
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third → pass → Sea
The Houthis have also reportedly consulted with Tehran on imposing a safe passage toll through the strait over the summer, in an apparent plot to further strain global economies.
uncertain
Houthis → consult → economies
Yemen's internationally recognised government has repeatedly warned of Houthi plans for taking control of the waterway, whose name in Arabic means "Gate of Tears".
asserted
name → recognise → Tears
Yet a member of the Houthis' politburo on Friday sought to allay global fears for international shipping, stating the group posed "no danger" to Red Sea cargo routes.
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group → seek → routes
"Freedom of navigation and international trade in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab are safe and orderly," Hazem al-Assad told the Al-Araby al-Jadeed news outlet.
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Assad → tell → outlet
"There is no cause for international concern, as they face no danger from the Yemeni side."
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they → be → side
The Houthis corrected this statement to say Saudi Arabia remains an exception.
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Arabia → correct → statement
"Maritime navigation is safe for all companies except Saudi ships, which have already been banned," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Friday evening.
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Saree → ban → evening
According to Senior Director at the Soufan Center Caroline Rose, the Houthi takeover of Perim Island and Yemen's coastline creates in a chokehold which fill force shipping operators to reconsider costlier alternatives, while also impacting the key infrastructure the region relies on, such as the Suez Canal.
uncertain
region → accord → Canal
"Instead of going through the Red Sea, Suez, then Europe, they now have to explore a much more onerous path through Asia, the Cape of Good Hope, the Atlantic, then to Europe," Rose told Euronews.
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Rose → go → Euronews
"This adds weeks, greater insurance requirements given the proliferation of drones and overall risk, cost, and personnel needs to the journey, something that will undoubtedly increase prices.
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that → add → prices
Formally known as Ansar Allah, the Houthis came to power in late 2014 after storming Sana'a and seizing the presidential palace and key military sites, forcing Yemen's government into exile.
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Houthis → know → exile
The group is part of Tehran's so-called Axis of Resistance — a loose network of militant groups in several countries in the region including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and militias in Iraq, all backed, trained and equipped by the IRGC to varying degrees.
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group → call → degrees
The group triggered a return to hostilities in Yemen's civil war in July, when they let an Iranian plane land in defiance of Saudi control of Yemeni airspace.
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plane → trigger → airspace
Riyadh retaliated by striking the airport, triggering the Houthis to declare a blockade on the kingdom targeting its oil trade in July.
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Riyadh → retaliate → July
The Houthis engaged in a large-scale offensive last week against government forces backed by Saudi Arabia, while also launching attacks on Saudi territory that left dozens wounded, leading Riyadh to respond with daily strikes on Houthi-held parts of Yemen.
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that → engage → Yemen
Saudi Arabia, which earlier this week said it had always offered “opportunities for negotiation,” also said it has the right to defend itself.
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it → say → itself
Houthi attacks on oil infrastructure and Saudi tankers have further contributed to a spike in oil prices, which surpassed $100 a barrel on Thursday.
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which → contribute → Thursday
A friend in need
Last month, Saudi Arabia signed a NATO-style mutual defence agreement with Turkey and nuclear-armed Pakistan in Mecca, but it seems unlikely either of the two would get involved.
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either → sign → two
On Tuesday, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan would "honour" the pact "in case there is a need".
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Pakistan → say → case
Just one day later, the Pakistan foreign ministry said that the Mecca pact was a "defensive alliance focused on deterrence".
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pact → say → deterrence
When the time comes, we will act under the agreement," spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan told the press at the weekly media briefing.
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Khan → come → briefing
In July, US President Donald Trump said Washington would respond against the Houthis if they attempted to block maritime traffic in the Red Sea, after weeks of US strikes from March 2025 — early in Trump's second term — hit a range of military and industrial targets.
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weeks → say → targets
However, Washington is reportedly reluctant to enter the fray at this time as it remains bogged down in its own war with Iran since February.
uncertain
it → enter → February
According to US outlets, Trump rejected a request from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for strikes on Houthi positions as they approached Mokha on Thursday.
uncertain
they → accord → Thursday
Riyadh and the White House are yet to comment on these reports.
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Riyadh → comment → reports
…and 19 more, not listed.
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