Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

Saudi crown prince urged US to take military action against Houthis, report sayspublished at 17:43 BST

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly asked Donald Trump to take military action against the Iran-backed Houthis following their rapid advance across Yemen's west coast.

Salman has spoken to the US president multiple times in recent days, but Trump declined to get involved, two sources familiar with the matter tell the BBC's US partner CBS News.

The Saudis are seeking to build a coalition with the US amid concerns any attack against the Houthis could see Iran retaliate, the outlet adds.

Trump has instead offered to assist with intelligence and targeting support, although talks between the two countries "remain fluid", CBS adds, citing sources familiar.

A senior administration official did not answer a question about the call with the crown prince, but says that the US is "focused on protecting our core national security interests—such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea—while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges.

"We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen Government regarding regional stability."

‘I’m only 12 miles away - but I haven’t seen my children in eight years’published at 17:21 BST

Feras Kilani

BBC Arabic’s special correspondent

Image caption, Ali Mohammed Khumaisi has not seen his family in eight years

Ali Mohammed Khumaisi appears lost in thought, struggling to believe he has now spent eight years living in a makeshift shelter made of reeds, unable to reach his family just 12 miles (20km) away.

He left the family home to visit his father in a nearby village one day when a surprise offensive drove the Houthis out of the area surrounding his family home – and Ali found himself trapped on the wrong side of the front line.

He now lives in a makeshift shelter at al-Mahrabah displacement camp, in north-western Yemen, only a few kilometres from government-held areas near the Saudi border.

“I call my children. They cry, and I cry. We cannot reach each other. Neither they nor I can get through because of this war," he told BBC News Arabic last week.

"Every day, the situation gets worse. War could return to this area at any moment. Artillery fire from the north is already close to us.

"I am afraid that one day my children and I will be separated forever and that I will never be able to reach them."

The UN classifies Yemen among the world's largest displacement crises, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reporting that 46,000 have been displaced in the last week alone.

Satellite images show Houthi strikes on Saudi oil refineries in Julypublished at 17:05 BST

By Richard Irvine-Brown

If the smoke plume visible today on Saudi Arabia’s oil pipeline which connects the Gulf to the Red Sea is confirmed to be from a Houthi attack, it would be the latest incident where the Iran-backed armed group has targeted Saudi oil infrastructure.

On 27 July, the Houthis claimed to have struck oil refineries in both the east and west of Saudi Arabia.

Satellite images on the day confirmed a large, dark fire at the south east corner of the refinery at Aqabiq, on the east coast.

Image source, Planet Labs PBC

A larger smoke plume was seen on 26 July on the Saudi west coast, at the refinery north of Jazan.

Image source, Sentinel-2, Copernicus

Are the Houthis sending a message to Washington?published at 16:46 BST

Nawal Al-Maghafi

Senior international correspondent

One interesting detail in the Houthis’ messaging since their capture of Mokha is their insistence that international shipping has nothing to fear.

The group says vessels can continue to navigate the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab safely, with one important exception: ships affiliated with Saudi Arabia, which remain subject to the Houthis’ naval blockade.

That distinction may be significant. The Houthis have previously demonstrated that they can threaten international shipping in the Red Sea.

By explicitly limiting their current threat to Saudi-linked vessels, they could be signalling to President Trump and the wider international community that they do not intend, for now at least, to threaten their ships or turn this into a broader confrontation.

And that raises an interesting question about Washington’s response.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly asked Trump on Thursday for direct US military assistance against the Houthis. The US declined.

Washington has instead offered intelligence and targeting support, but says it is not prepared, at least for now, to take direct military action.

The Trump administration appears determined to avoid opening another front while its forces remain focused on Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.

So, the Houthis may be making a calculated distinction: putting maximum pressure on Saudi Arabia and its vital Red Sea oil route, while trying not to give Washington an immediate reason to enter the conflict directly.

Whether they can maintain that distinction if the fighting escalates is another question entirely.

Houthi movement controls Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, Yemeni official tells AFPpublished at 16:17 BST

The Iran-backed Houthi movement has seized control of Yemen's entire Red Sea coast, an unnamed Yemeni military official tells AFP news agency.

The official with the internationally-recognised Yemeni government tells the news agency that "everything that was under our control on the western coast has fallen."

The military official also tells AFP that the Houthis have seized two other islands in the Bab al-Mandab Strait. That follows earlier reports that the group has taken control of Perim Island in the key shipping waterway.

Iran does not dictate every Houthi decision - but they appear increasingly alignedpublished at 15:43 BST

Nawal Al-Maghafi

Senior International Correspondent

Image source, EPA

Image caption, Houthi fighters during a protest against Saudi Arabia in Yemen's capital Sanaa on 17 July

The Houthis are often described simply as an Iranian proxy. The reality is more complicated.

There is no question that Iran has played a significant role in building the group’s military capabilities.

Over many years, Tehran has provided weapons, technology, training, and expertise that have helped transform the Houthis from a Yemeni insurgent movement into a force capable of firing sophisticated missiles and drones hundreds of miles beyond Yemen’s borders.

But that does not necessarily mean Tehran dictates every Houthi decision.

The Houthis have their own leadership, their own domestic ambitions inside Yemen and have demonstrated a degree of independence from Iran that distinguishes them from some other groups within Tehran’s so-called "Axis of Resistance".

What is particularly significant now is how closely their interests appear to be converging.

Iran has publicly backed the Houthis during the latest fighting. The geography helps explain why.

Iran already has the ability to exert enormous pressure on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

The Houthis' advance towards Bab al-Mandab potentially creates pressure at another vital shipping route on the opposite side of the Arabian Peninsula.

That doesn’t mean the Houthis are simply taking orders from Tehran.

But at this moment, their military objectives inside Yemen and Iran’s interests in the wider regional war appear increasingly aligned.

Houthis claim major advance in Yemen - what you need to knowpublished at 15:17 BST

Jack Grey

Live reporter

Fighters from the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen have "taken control" of Perim Island in the Red Sea, a government source says.

The island divides the Bab al-Mandab Strait - a key global shipping route.

The strait, at the southern tip of the Red Sea, links both Europe - through the Suez Canal - and Saudi Arabia's western ports to the Indian Ocean and Asia as a whole.

Here are they key points:

In a statement on Friday, the Iran-backed group said "maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels" which it says are "subject to a blockade"

The Houthis claim to have made major advances in Yemen, after the group reportedly seized the red Sea port city of Mokha on Thursday

The group also claims it has expelled "Saudi-backed forces" from Yemen's western coast - but does not mention Perim Island

The Bab al-Mandab Strait has been a key shipping route for Saudi Arabia due to disruption to the Strait of Hormuz in the US-Iran war

The tiny African country with strategic importance on crucial shipping routepublished at 14:57 BST

Simi Jolaoso

BBC 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.

Houthi advances cause alarm for Riyadhpublished at 14:38 BST

Nawal Al-Maghafi

Senior 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.

Image source, EPA/Shutterstock

Image caption, The Houthis escalated fighting last week and have now reportedly taken over a strategic island in the Red Sea

Bab al-Mandab is the narrow gateway between the Red Sea and 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.

Houthis list 'achievements' of military operationpublished at 14:29 BST

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"

We are yet to hear from Saudi Arabia on these latest developments.

Houthis claim 'large-scale' military operation a 'success'published at 14:20 BST

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 in a statement the operation was launched due to Saudi Arabia's "blatant aggression" against "our dear people".

He 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.

Houthi military give update, without reference to Perim Islandpublished at 14:14 BST

We've just received 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.

Lightning advance takes international community by surprisepublished at 14:02 BST

Paul Adams

Diplomatic 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.

US says it is in 'regular communication' with allies over Yemenpublished at 13:56 BST

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.

Houthi advances raise fears of attacks on vital shipping lanepublished at 13:50 BST

Paul Adams

Diplomatic 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.

Verified imagery shows armed men in key areas of Mokhapublished at 13:31 BST

By Shruti Menon, Thomas Spencer and Peter Mwai

BBC 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.

Image source, Telegram

One video also shows armed men driving along one of the main roads in the centre of Mokha on four pick-up trucks.

In the clip, a man can be heard shouting a well-known Houthi slogan.

Image source, X

Houthis 'take control' of Perim Island - government sourcepublished at 13:00 BST

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.

Escalation in Yemen likely to squeeze Saudi oil suppliespublished at 12:49 BST

Jonathan Josephs

BBC 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 published by in the last 24 hours but both show a big drop in August compared to July.

The International Energy Agency says it fell from 8.24 million, external barrels per day (bpd) to 5.97 million bpd, whereas Saudi government figures published by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) suggest the drop was from 8.14 million, external bpd to 6.24 million bpd.

Either way, the reduction is significant and it means production is heavily down on the same time last year.

Meanwhile, supplies via the Strait of Hormuz also remain reduced and President Trump’s suggestion that the US Iran conflict won't be over for some time means there is little prospect of that changing.

These higher energy prices continue to stoke inflation around the world which is putting pressure on central banks to increase interest rates as the European Central Bank did yesterday.

The chances of the US and Japan following suit next week are growing and the fear is that will weigh down economic growth.

Satellite image shows smoke plume on Saudi Red Sea oil pipelinepublished at 12:36 BST

By Paul Brown

Satellite 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.

Image source, Sentinel-3, Copernicus

Data from Nasa's fire-detection software FIRMS also show heat anomalies at eight points along the pipeline at around 17:00 BST yesterday.

One of these heat signatures is located at the same pumping station.

Image source, Nasa FIRMS

The pipeline is used by Saudi Arabia as an alternative to exporting via the Strait of Hormuz, which has been severely disrupted since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran in February.

It is not possible to say what the exact cause of the smoke plume was, or how much damage has been caused, from the satellite images.

But experts on social media say, in the event of damage to a pipeline, safety systems are in place to close valves and redirect the pipeline's contents within a damaged section to burn off as flares to reduce further impact.

This could mean the multiple heat signatures are the result of these safety measures triggered by a single point of damage.

Houthi control of Red Sea strait could impact Saudi oil exportspublished at 12:28 BST

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.