Yemen's Houthis push deeper into Red Sea, capture 2 islands: What to know

Rosaleen Carroll , Adam Lucente

Sep 14, 2026

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Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis have captured two strategic islands in the southern Red Sea, expanding their foothold in the waterway as Saudi Arabia faces growing pressure on its oil export routes. 

What happened: The Associated Press, citing two Yemeni government officials and a Houthi official, reported on Monday that the Houthis had captured the Greater and Lesser Hanish islands. It is unclear when exactly the group wrested control of them.

Yemen Shabab TV reported on Sunday that nearly 1,000 government-aligned soldiers who had been stationed on the Hanish islands as well as the Zuqar island arrived in Djibouti, fleeing a Houthi attack.

The Hanish islands lie about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, between Yemen and Eritrea. Their capture extends the Houthis' influence farther into the southern Red Sea, following last week's seizure of the port city of Mokha and Perim Island, also known as Mayyun Island, which divides the strait into two........

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