What happens if the Bab el-Mandeb Strait closes — and why the Houthis are targeting this island

Perim Island, at the narrowest point of Bab el-Mandeb, has long been a strategic prize

Houthi takeover would threaten the oil export route from Bab el-Mandeb into the Red Sea

Experts warn of possible mining of the strait, mirroring Iran's tactics at Hormuz

The Middle East's two major oil shipping lanes

Perim Island sits at the narrowest point of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the distance between the Horn of Africa — encompassing Djibouti and Eritrea — and the Arabian Peninsula, where Yemen lies, is just 12 miles (about 19 kilometers). [Social media]

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed by the US-Iran war, the strategic importance of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — the southern gateway to the Red Sea — has surged. Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have been stepping up their offensive against Perim Island, at the heart of the strait, and the nearby port of Mocha, pushing both of the world's major oil shipping corridors to the brink of blockade. Experts warn that if the Houthis seize Perim Island, they could lay mines across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, just as Iran has done in the Strait of Hormuz.

According to CNN, the Houthis have recently launched a major offensive to seize Mocha, a strategic hub about 50 miles north of Perim Island, on Friday (local time).

Perim Island sits at the narrowest point of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where the gap between the Horn of Africa — home to Djibouti and Eritrea — and the Arabian Peninsula narrows to just 12 miles (19 kilometers). The island has long held strategic value; the British Empire once used it as a coal resupply station for ships bound for India.

In this image from Monday (local time), Iran-backed Houthi rebels launch a ballistic missile strike on trucks transporting military equipment from Saudi Arabia to the Al-Wadiah military base in Yemen's Hadramawt governorate. [AFP]

The island's importance has grown further since the United States moved to block Iran's oil exports by closing the Strait of Hormuz. As Saudi Arabia rerouted its oil exports away from Hormuz and toward the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait emerged as the critical maritime alternative, CNN reported.

As the cycle of US-Iran retaliation intensifies, Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis have effectively entered an all-out battle for control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait — the entrance to the Red Sea — deepening the global energy crisis.

According to Reuters, AFP and other international news agencies, the Houthis deployed drones and missiles to strike four cities in southern Saudi Arabia: Khamis Mushait, Abha, Najran and Jizan. The targets included Saudi air force bases and key refining and power facilities belonging to state oil company Aramco.

Saudi authorities said at least 73 people were wounded in the attacks, including women and children. It was the largest strike on Saudi territory since the US-Iran war broke out in February.

The Saudi-led coalition vowed to eliminate the source of the threat and launched retaliatory strikes. In the days prior, Saudi Arabia had carried out extensive airstrikes and missile attacks on Houthi strongholds across Yemen in an effort to halt the rebels' push to seize the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Tensions in the Middle East escalate again. [Yonhap]

Perim Island is currently held by Yemeni government forces. However, given that the Houthis already occupy the capital Sanaa and have maintained effective control of it to this day, analysts say the rebels could also move to seize the island.

Experts say that if the Houthis take Perim Island, they could threaten or block vessels passing through the narrow gateway connecting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to the Red Sea.

Abdel Nasser al-Mamlouk, the military media chief for the Saleh faction, warned that "if the Houthis seize Perim Island, they may no longer need long-range weapons to threaten ships" and that "they will lay mines across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, just as Iran did at Hormuz."

Tariq Saleh, vice president of Yemen's internationally recognized government, told CNN, "We warned the world long ago that this was an Iranian project, but no one listened to Yemen. Now it has become a matter of geopolitics."

He added that "if the Houthis seize Perim Island and gain control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, it will take a large international military and naval force to drive them out."

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