Summary
- Fighters from the Iran-backed Houthi movement have “taken control” of a key island on the Red Sea, a government source says
- Perim Island divides the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the southern gateway to a trade route that links Asia and Europe - here’s why it is significant
- The Houthis’ lightning advance appears to have taken most observers by surprise, says the BBC’s Paul Adams
- In a statement, the Houthis say “maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels” and claim their military operation has been a “success” - but it does not mention Perim Island
- Saudi Arabia has relied on the Red Sea for oil exports since the US and Israel’s war effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz
- At least 46,000 people have been displaced in Yemen since fighting escalated last week, according to the International Organization for Migration
Live Reporting
Edited by Matt Spivey and Jenna Moon
Simi JolaosoBBC Africa correspondent
On the opposite side of the Bab al-Mandab Strait from Yemen lies tiny Djibouti, whose location has made it one of the most strategically important countries in Africa.The narrow waterway between the African coast and Yemen connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea and, beyond it, the Suez Canal, making it a crucial route for ships travelling between Europe and Asia.That would explain the unusual concentration of military power along Djibouti’s coastline.The United States, China, France, Japan and Italy all operate military facilities there.The US base at Camp Lemonnier supports around 4,000 US and allied personnel, while China opened its first overseas military support base in Djibouti in 2017. Both bases are only a few miles apart.Japan’s only overseas Self-Defense Force Base is also there; alongside long-established French forces and an Italian military base.Their missions range from counter-piracy and counter-terrorism to protecting shipping, gathering intelligence and providing logistical support.The location has taken on renewed importance as fighting intensifies just across the water.Iran-backed Houthi forces are reported to have captured territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, including the strategic island of Perim in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Several of the world’s biggest military powers already have forces positioned beside this crucial shipping route. So while much of the attention is currently on Yemen, the African shore illustrates just how much is at stake. 
About sharing- Nawal Al-MaghafiSenior International Correspondent
The speed of the Houthi advance along Yemen’s western coast
has taken many by surprise.On Thursday, the group seized Mokha, the strategically
important Red Sea port that had been controlled by forces aligned with Yemen’s
internationally recognised government.Contacts I have been speaking to in and around Mokha
described government forces pulling out rapidly as the Houthis entered.
Residents spoke of shops closing and families leaving the city, uncertain about
how far the group intended to advance. The UN says more than 46,000 people have
now fled amid the latest fighting.But the Houthis have not stopped at Mokha.On Friday, officials told the Associated Press that Houthi
forces had captured Perim, also known as Mayyun, a small but strategically
important island sitting directly inside the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Saudi Arabia
has responded by striking Mokha airport.That changes the strategic picture considerably.
the Gulf of Aden, and it’s one of the world’s most important shipping routes.On the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, shipping through
the Strait of Hormuz has already been severely disrupted by the war with Iran.
Saudi Arabia has therefore become increasingly dependent on its Red Sea route
to export oil.The Houthis insist international shipping remains safe and
say their blockade is directed specifically at Saudi vessels. But their advance
gives them a much stronger position from which to threaten that shipping if
they choose to.And that appears to be what is causing such alarm in Riyadh:
a conflict that had largely been frozen since 2022 has suddenly reached one of
the most strategically important waterways in the world.
About sharing - The Houthis say their “large-scale” military operation against “Saudi-backed forces” in Yemen has achieved four key results.They group’s military spokesman claims: The expulsion of “Saudi enemy” troops from six districts in the Taiz and Hodeidah regions
- The targeting of “seven military divisions of the Saudi enemy’s forces” and the “killing, capture, and wounding” of hundreds
- The freeing of a number or prisoners “held by the Saudi enemy’s mercenaries for years”
- The shooting down of nine aircraft across 32 operations to “intercept Saudi warplanes”
- Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea declares a “large-scale” military operation launched on 3 September to expel “Saudi-backed forces” from the western coast of Yemen to be a “success”.Sarea says this operation was launched due to Saudi Arabia’s “blatant aggression” against “our dear people”.It reiterates that “maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels” which it says are “subject to a blockade”.The statement appears to make no mention of Perim Island, in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. About sharing
- We’ve just recieved an expected update from the Houthi’s military spokesman.It doesn’t appear to mention the events that have unfolded over the past couple of days - we’ll bring you a fuller look at the statement in just a moment. About sharing
Paul AdamsDiplomatic correspondent
The Houthis’ lightning advance across the southern reaches
of the Tihama – Yemen’s arid coastal plain – appears to have taken most
observers by surprise.Until recently, the anti-Houthi coalition, known as the
National Resistance, held significant territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast. In
a matter of days, much of this has fallen to the Houthis, who are enjoying
their most significant battlefield gains for years.But Hisham al-Omeisi, a Washington-based analyst at the
European Institute of Peace, says the latest developments are far from
surprising.“The National Resistance forces have been warning… for
a while,” he tells BBC News, “and unfortunately the international
community has been dragging its feet.““Now that they are there [in Mokha, the Red Sea port
city], they’re going to be entrenched and it’s going to be a lot more costly to
push them out.”Some see the sudden collapse as an inevitable consequence of
a lack of coordination and sporadic infighting among anti-Houthi forces, as
well as deep divisions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, who
once formed the backbone of the international coalition supporting Yemen’s
internationally-recognised government.
About sharing- The US is in “regular communication” with regional allies regarding Yemen and “remains focussed” on its “counterterrorism goals against the Houthis”, a US State Department spokesperson tells the BBC.“The United States’ core interests in the Middle East include ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the region, as well as preventing the export of terrorism,” the statement reads.It adds that the Trump administration has “clearly demonstrated its commitment to defending these interests against aggression from Iran and its proxies”.The State Department did not comment specifically on the latest advance of the Iran-backed Houthis against key Yemeni port sites on the Red Sea. About sharing
- Paul AdamsDiplomatic correspondent
The latest Houthi advances in Yemen’s remote southwest don’t
just represent a significant development in the course of Yemen’s long civil
war but also threaten one of the world’s most important maritime waterways.By capturing the small southern port of Mocha and reportedly
occupying strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, the Houthis appear to be
in a position to control the flow of shipping through the vital Bab al-Mandab
strait.The Iranian-backed rebels, who control much of Yemen’s
north, including the capital Sanaa, say they will only target Saudi-linked
ships, but their record in attacking a wide range of international vessels in
response to Israel’s war in Gaza will make all nations using the Red Sea
extremely nervous.To the north, satellite
images suggesting that Houthi missiles and drones struck Saudi Arabia’s
East-West pipeline – a vital alternative route for Saudi oil exports
following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year – points to an
effort by Iran’s Yemeni allies to add to the economic pressures generated by
the US-Israeli war with Iran.With the Strait of Hormuz still mostly closed, the
possibility that the Bab al-Mandab might experience a similar fate is a real
worry.
About sharing - By Shruti Menon, Thomas Spencer and Peter MwaiBBC Verify has been examining material which shows fighters inside the key Red Sea port city of Mokha yesterday after it was captured by the Houthis.One verified image shared on Telegram shows four armed men outside the Mohka airport terminal building, which is on the coast, just south of the main sea port.
About sharing - Houthi rebels have “taken control” of Perim Island in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, according to a source. Earlier, we were reporting that the group had reached the key island. The AFP news agency also says Houthis have “taken over” Perim Island, also referred to as Mayyun, according to eyewitnesses and a local government official.“Boats carrying armed Houthi fighters reached Mayyun Island after government forces withdrew from it yesterday,” the official tells AFP. About sharing
Jonathan JosephsBBC business reporter
These latest escalations are likely to further squeeze global energy supplies in a week where the price of oil has already surged past $100 a barrel.It’s the first time that has happened since late July, and that reflects traders concerns that Saudi Arabian oil supplies have fallen sharply.With the world’s second biggest oil producer under renewed attack from the Houthis there could be yet more pressure on those supplies.Different figures for Saudi oil production have been About sharing- By Paul BrownSatellite imagery indicates there were several fires yesterday along a 68 mile (109km) stretch of Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq-Yanbu oil pipeline, which connects the Gulf and Red Sea.European Space Agency imagery examined by BBC Verify shows a large plume of black smoke emanating from the vicinity of pumping station about 45 miles (72km) south of Medina.
About sharing - Following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz for
large periods of the US-Iran war, Saudi Arabia turned to its east-west pipeline
to transport oil exports to the Red Sea.Earlier this year Saudi Arabia was diverting as much at 70%
of its crude exports from the Gulf to its Red Sea port of Yanbu through the
pipeline.Through this pipeline, the Saudis have been able to ship oil
to Asia travelling south through the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandab Strait.However, with the Houthis reportedly
reaching Perim Island, that divides the strait, Saudi oil exports could be impacted.The Houthis say they pose no threat to international
shipping, except for vessels from Saudi Arabia.
About sharing 
Katy WatsonReporting from Jerusalem
Yemen has been locked in a civil war since 2014 when the Houthi
movement, which has links with Iran, took the capital Sanaa.It’s caused one of the worst humanitarian crises in the
world – thousands have died and nearly five million have been displaced, with
many facing starvation.The roots of the conflict started in the Arab Spring of 2011 – an uprising forced the country’s long-time authoritarian president, Ali
Abdullah Saleh, to hand over power to his deputy, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.But the political transition was anything but smooth and the
Houthis took advantage of Hadi’s weakness and toppled his governmentIn March 2015, Saudi Arabia led air strikes against the
Houthis, intending to restore Hadi to power.The Saudi-led coalition was worried that the Houthis’ influence would empower their rival regional power Iran, in Yemen.By 2022, a UN-brokered ceasefire was agreed – but it’s come
under huge strain this year with the war in Iran breaking out.Peace has become fragile once again – the Houthis know they
will have leverage over the US if they can control the Red Sea
About sharing- Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea says a statement is expected - but does not provide more details about when.In a post on Telegram, he says the group will announce “a large-scale, high-impact military operation”. About sharing
- Katy WatsonReporting from Jerusalem
This reported move is significant – and would put the
Houthis in control of a key island that divides the Bab al-Mandab Strait in
two.Perim sits at the narrowest point of the strait – in the
middle of a shipping lane that’s become increasingly important since the Iran
war began.With the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a route
that accounts for a fifth of the world’s oil supply – Saudi Arabia has had to
reroute much of its oil through the East-West pipeline that connects to the Red
Sea.Houthi officials say Red Sea navigation is safe for all
shipping companies except for Saudi vessels, pushing up the tension as well as
oil prices.If the Houthis gain control of this waterway, that will put
Iran at an advantage and risks further reducing oil supplies which have risen
to above $100 a barrel.
About sharing
- The Bab al-Mandab Strait is the southern gateway to a key
shipping route that links Asia and Europe via the Red Sea and Suez canal.Since the US and Israel’s war effectively closed the Strait
of Hormuz in the Gulf, Saudi Arabia has relied on the Red Sea for oil exports.The Saudis have been able to ship oil in bulk to customers
in Asia using tankers that depart south, past Yemen and the Bab al-Mandab
Strait, and out into the open Indian Ocean – but this is now at risk as the
Houthis threaten vessels passing by their coast.The escalation of the conflict between the Houthis, Yemen’s government
and Saudi Arabia has contributed to a surge in oil prices.
About sharing 
fighting escalated last week, the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) says.In an update released today, the IOM adds the “number
is alarmingly rising by the hour”.“Families are being forced to flee for the second or third
time in this conflict, with almost nothing left,” said Amy Pope, IOM Director
General.
About sharing- The latest news comes a day after the Houthis seized the strategic Red Sea port city of Mokha from Saudi-backed pro-government forces, according to military sources and witnesses.The Houthis said they posed no threat to international shipping but have reiterated their threat to target vessels from Saudi Arabia.The kingdom has relied on the Red Sea for oil exports since the US and Israel’s war effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf. About sharing
- Yemen’s Houthis have reportedly reached Perim Island - an important maritime chokepoint at the mouth of the Red Sea.The island divides the Bab al-Mandab strait, the southern gateway to a trade route that links Asia and Europe.Yemeni government forces have, according to officials, withdrawn from the island.There has been no immediate confirmation from the Houthis that they have reached Perim Island. About sharing