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Iran-backed Houthi forces captured Mayun (Perim) Island in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on 11 September 2026 after Yemeni government forces withdrew, a day after taking the port of Mocha.
With the island, the town of Dhubab and the village of Murad, the Houthis now control Yemen's entire Red Sea coastline.
The 13 sq km volcanic island splits the roughly 32-km-wide strait into two channels at the southern entrance of the Red Sea.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said general shipping was safe but Saudi-linked vessels would be blockaded — the same day Saudi Arabia shut its East-West oil pipeline.
British East India Company first claims Perim, ahead of the planned invasion of Egypt
Formal British occupation, organised from Aden
Perim lighthouse inaugurated
Perim Coal Company sets up a coaling station for Suez-route steamers; it went bankrupt in 1935
British withdrawal; island becomes part of the People's Republic of Southern Yemen
Houthis capture Mocha port
Houthis capture Mayun (Perim) Island
Mayun lies inside the Bab el-Mandeb, between Yemen on the Arabian side and Djibouti and Eritrea on the African side. Mocha lies about 75 km to the north on Yemen's coast, and Dhubab faces the strait directly.
GS Paper I > World Geography > Straits; GS Paper II > West Asia
CDS / NDA General Knowledge > Geography and Current Affairs
Consider the following statements: Statement-I: Sumed pipeline is a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil... Statement-II: Sumed pipeline connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Answer: Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct...
Consider the following statements: 1. The Red Sea receives very little precipitation in any form. 2. No water enters the Red Sea from rivers. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: Both 1 and 2
The "Suez Canal" connects the Mediterranean Sea with which Sea?
Answer: Red Sea
'Gate of Tears' — strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Djibouti/Eritrea
Iran-backed Zaidi Shia movement controlling northern Yemen and now its whole Red Sea coast
Port supplying coal to steamships; Perim's rose with the Suez Canal route