The situation in West Asia continued to intensify as Iran-backed Houthi fighters of Yemen captured islands alongside the Red Sea, creating more difficulties for Saudi Arabia to ship through that route.
Houthis captured more key islands in the southern Red Sea — Greater and Lesser Hanish — which would give them more control of the maritime shipping route, said officials on Monday.
Houthis took control of the islands after hundreds of fighters allied with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government withdrew from the archipelago, news agency Associated Press reported citing two government officials and a Houthi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media. Saudi authorities said the drones were launched from Maysan province in southeastern Iraq, near the Iranian border, where Iran-aligned armed groups have maintained a longstanding presence. The development follows attempts by government forces over the weekend to regroup and push back against the Houthis’ rapid advances around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a vital shipping route and an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. However, operations were suspended on the route after drones struck it last Thursday.
Earlier reporting noted: Yemen’s Houthi rebels seize more key islands in southern Red Sea, tighten grip on shipping routes Yemen’s Houthi rebels captured more strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, Yemeni government and Houthi officials said on Monday (September 14, 2026), strengthening their control of a major maritime shipping route . Earlier reporting noted: The rebels deployed fighters on the islands of Greater Hanish and Lesser Hanish 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Bab el-Mandeb Strait , according to two government officials and a Houthi official. Because they were not authorized to talk to journalists, earlier reporting noted: The Houthis took over the islands after hundreds of government-allied forces withdrew from the archipelago, said the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
