Iran-backed Houthis seize key island, opening new front in Iran war

Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured the island of Mayun at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, officials said Friday, opening a new front in the Iran war and threatening Saudi oil exports. Saudi Arabia also struck the nearby port city of Mokha after the Houthis seized it Thursday. The fighting has raised fears for shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and for a fragile truce in Yemen.

The capture of Mayun, also known as Perim, was confirmed by a senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and by a Houthi official.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is 28 kilometers wide, and shipping through it had already fallen by about 60% since Houthi attacks began in late 2023.

The U.N. migration agency said Friday that more than 46,000 people fled the fighting this week.

Yemen’s National Defense Council said the government was on the front line of defending freedom of navigation and condemned the Houthis’ renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The escalating fighting threatens the fragile truce that had largely halted Yemen’s civil war since 2022.

Published Sep 12, 2026 12:31 am KST

This image taken from undated video released by the Ansar Allah Media Office, the media arm of Yemen's Houthi rebels, on Sept. 9, shows a pickup truck burning following what the Houthis described as an attack on Saudi-backed forces in eastern Jawf province, Yemen. Ansar Allah Media Office via AP-Yonhap

CAIRO — Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels captured a strategic island at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, two officials said Friday, opening a new front in the Iran war and further threatening Saudi oil exports through one of the world’s key shipping lanes.

The Houthis’ biggest territorial gains in years, along the Bab el-Mandeb Strait , could boost Iran’s strategy of driving up world oil and gas prices to pressure the United States.

Saudi Arabia struck the airport in the nearby port city of Mokha that the Houthis seized Thursday, a Houthi broadcaster said. There were no reports of damage or deaths.

The capture of Mayun , a tiny, barren volcanic island inside the strait also known as Perim, was confirmed by a senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government and by a Houthi official. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, has increasingly relied on the Red Sea to get its crude to market as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has been striking ships. Houthi moves to close the 28-kilometer-wide (17-mile) Bab el-Mandeb channel have made that route more complicated. Saudi officials declined a request by The Associated Press for comment on the developments.

In a statement Friday, the Houthi armed forces boasted of gains along the coast without mentioning the island, Mokha or the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. They vowed “escalation for escalation” in the confrontation with Saudi Arabia, while declaring that “maritime navigation is safe for all companies except for Saudi vessels.”

Still, markets are nervous, and experts have described the Houthis as highly unpredictable. Crude prices this week soared once again above $100 a barrel, giving Tehran more leverage in any talks.

Yemen's government shocked by slow Saudi response

The Houthis have been attacking Saudi shipping on the Red Sea since declaring a blockade in July , as well as oil infrastructure inside Saudi Arabia. The rebels said they acted in response to the kingdom’s yearslong blockade of Houthi-held parts of Yemen.

A senior military official with Yemen’s internationally recognized government told the AP they were stunned that the Saudi air force did not try to prevent the capture of Mokha, which is within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the strait, by striking the Houthis as they advanced. He assessed that Saudi Arabia didn’t get a green light from the U.S. to embark on a large-scale air campaign.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t allowed to speak to the media, also blamed “lack of coordination” between Yemen’s army and multiple allied militias, saying it gave the Houthis “a priceless opportunity.”

Shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb Strait had fallen by about 60% since the Houthis began attacking some ships there in late 2023 and expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Shipping increased this year as Saudi Arabia sought alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz, but renewed Houthi threats have “curtailed” that activity, according to Lloyd’s List Intelligence.

That has forced Saudi Arabia to find yet another alternative, sending its oil north out of the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, either via the Suez Canal or a pipeline through Egypt, a far longer route for its clients in Asia. The Houthis have threatened that route as well, striking a Saudi vessel in the north of the Red Sea in late August.

Iran calls for a return to Saudi-Houthi talks

Earlier Friday, Iran’s government called for an end to Saudi Arabia’s blockade of Houthi-held areas in a show of support for its ally. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also called for a return to negotiations between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.

In a sign of how important the Houthis have become for Tehran, the spokesperson for Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday called for any negotiated settlement with the U.S. to include Yemen, the first explicit reference to that front. The call mirrored Iran’s past stance that a truce in Lebanon between its ally Hezbollah and Israel must be a part of any deal with the U.S.

Saudi Arabia, which earlier this week said it had always offered “opportunities for negotiation,” also has said it has the right to defend itself in response to the Houthis’ blockade. The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia spoke Thursday about diplomatic efforts to “restore stability” to the region, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on social media.

The fighting risks a return to Yemen's civil war

As the Houthis swept along the Red Sea coast toward the Bab el-Mandeb channel, Yemen’s Saudi-backed government called for international support.

In a statement Friday from a meeting the previous day, its National Defense Council said it was on the front line of defending freedom of navigation and condemned the Houthis’ renewed attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The escalating fighting threatens to end a fragile truce that had largely halted Yemen’s civil war since 2022. At stake are the 40 million people in the Arab world’s poorest country who fear a return to the conflict that killed 150,000 and brought many others to the brink of famine.

The surge in fighting in the past week has sent over 46,000 people fleeing, the U.N. migration agency said Friday.

People seeking safety from the fighting are carrying few belongings, “whatever they can grab,” Abdusattor Esoev, chief of mission in Yemen for the International Organization for Migration, said in an interview Friday. He said the number of people displaced more than doubled this week and could still rise sharply.

“You see the fears in their eyes, and people are scared,” Esoev said.

The Houthis have been at war with Yemen’s government since 2014, when the rebels swept from their mountainous heartland and seized much of northern and central Yemen, and the capital of Sanaa. Saudi Arabia entered the war the following year on behalf of the government.

也门官员周五表示，伊朗支持的胡塞武装占领了位于红海南入口的马云岛，这在伊朗战争中开辟了新的战线，并威胁到沙特阿拉伯的石油出口。此前，胡塞武装于周四占领了附近的港口城市摩卡，沙特阿拉伯随后也对该市进行了打击。这场冲突引发了人们对曼德海峡航运以及也门脆弱停火协议的担忧。

也门国际公认政府的一名高级军事官员和一名胡塞武装官员证实了马云（又名佩里姆）的陷落。

曼德海峡宽 28 公里，自 2023 年底胡塞武装发动袭击以来，通过该海峡的航运量已经下降了约 60%。

联合国移民机构周五表示，本周有超过46000人逃离战火。

也门国防委员会表示，政府站在捍卫航行自由的最前线，并谴责胡塞武装再次袭击沙特阿拉伯。

不断升级的战斗威胁着自 2022 年以来基本阻止也门内战的脆弱停火协议。

发布于2026年9月12日凌晨12:31（韩国标准时间）

这张图片截取自也门胡塞武装媒体机构“安萨尔真主媒体办公室”于9月9日发布的一段未注明日期的视频，视频显示，在胡塞武装所称的对也门东部焦夫省沙特支持的部队发动袭击后，一辆皮卡车正在燃烧。图片来源：安萨尔真主媒体办公室，经美联社/韩联社发布

开罗——两名官员周五表示，也门受伊朗支持的胡塞武装占领了红海南部入口处的一座战略岛屿，这在伊朗战争中开辟了新的战线，并进一步威胁到沙特阿拉伯通过世界主要航道之一的石油出口。

胡塞武装在曼德海峡沿岸取得了多年来最大的领土扩张，这可能会增强伊朗推高世界石油和天然气价格以向美国施压的战略。

胡塞武装的一家广播公司称，沙特阿拉伯袭击了胡塞武装周四占领的附近港口城市摩卡的机场。目前尚无人员伤亡或财产损失的报告。

也门国际公认政府的一名高级军官和一名胡塞武装官员证实，胡塞武装攻占了马云岛——这座位于海峡内、面积狭小且荒芜的火山岛，该海峡也被称为佩里姆海峡。两人均要求匿名，因为他们没有被授权接受记者采访。

沙特阿拉伯是世界最大的石油出口国，近年来日益依赖红海将原油运往市场，以此替代伊朗袭击船只的霍尔木兹海峡。胡塞武装封锁宽28公里（17英里）的曼德海峡的举动，使这条航线变得更加复杂。美联社就此事向沙特官员寻求置评，但遭到拒绝。

胡塞武装周五发表声明，吹嘘在沿海地区取得进展，但只字未提该岛、摩卡或曼德海峡。他们誓言与沙特阿拉伯的对抗将“以牙还牙”，同时宣称“除沙特船只外，所有公司的海上航行都是安全的”。

尽管如此，市场依然紧张，专家们也形容胡塞武装极难预测。本周原油价格再次飙升至每桶100美元以上，这让德黑兰在任何谈判中都拥有了更大的筹码。

也门政府对沙特反应迟缓感到震惊

自7月宣布封锁以来，胡塞武装一直在红海袭击沙特船只，并攻击沙特境内的石油基础设施。胡塞武装称，他们的行动是对沙特王国多年来封锁也门胡塞武装控制区的回应。

也门国际公认政府的一位高级军事官员告诉美联社，他们对沙特空军没有试图阻止胡塞武装占领摩卡感到震惊。摩卡距离海峡不到80公里，沙特空军本应在胡塞武装推进时对其进行打击。他认为，沙特阿拉伯发动大规模空袭行动并未获得美国的许可。

这位官员因未获准接受媒体采访而要求匿名，他还指责也门军队与多个盟军民兵组织之间“缺乏协调”，称这给了胡塞武装“一个无比宝贵的机会”。

自2023年底胡塞武装开始袭击曼德海峡的部分船只并声援加沙巴勒斯坦人以来，途经该海峡的航运量下降了约60%。今年，随着沙特阿拉伯寻求霍尔木兹海峡的替代航线，航运量有所回升，但据劳氏情报公司称，胡塞武装再次发出威胁，导致航运活动有所减少。

这迫使沙特阿拉伯寻找另一种替代方案，即通过苏伊士运河或途经埃及的管道，将红海石油向北输送至地中海。对于其亚洲客户而言，这条路线要长得多。胡塞武装也对这条路线构成威胁，他们在8月下旬袭击了红海北部的一艘沙特船只。

伊朗呼吁沙特与胡塞武装重返谈判桌

周五早些时候，伊朗政府呼吁沙特阿拉伯结束对胡塞武装控制区的封锁，以示对盟友的支持。伊朗外交部也呼吁沙特阿拉伯和胡塞武装恢复谈判。

胡塞武装对德黑兰的重要性日益凸显。伊朗强大的革命卫队发言人周三呼吁，任何与美国达成的谈判解决方案都必须包含也门问题，这是伊朗首次明确提及也门战线。这一呼吁与伊朗过去的立场相呼应，即其盟友真主党与以色列在黎巴嫩达成的停火协议必须是与美国达成任何协议的一部分。

沙特阿拉伯本周早些时候曾表示，它始终提供“谈判机会”，但也表示有权对胡塞武装的封锁进行自卫。伊朗外长阿巴斯·阿拉格奇在社交媒体上表示，伊朗和沙特阿拉伯的外长周四就旨在“恢复”该地区稳定的外交努力进行了会谈。

这场冲突有可能使也门重回内战。

当胡塞武装沿红海沿岸向曼德海峡推进时，沙特支持的也门政府呼吁国际社会提供支持。

沙特阿拉伯国防委员会周五发表声明，称其处于捍卫航行自由的第一线，并谴责胡塞武装对沙特阿拉伯的再次袭击。

不断升级的战斗有可能终结自 2022 年以来基本阻止也门内战的脆弱停火协议。阿拉伯世界最贫穷国家的 4000 万民众的命运岌岌可危，他们担心冲突会重演，那场冲突已造成 15 万人死亡，并使许多其他人濒临饥荒。

联合国移民机构周五表示，过去一周战斗的加剧已导致超过 46000 人逃离家园。

国际移民组织驻也门特派团团长阿卜杜萨托尔·埃索耶夫周五在接受采访时表示，为躲避战火而寻求庇护的人们几乎身无长物，“能抓到什么就抓什么”。他表示，本周流离失所的人数增加了一倍多，而且这一数字可能还会急剧上升。

“你从他们的眼神中就能看到恐惧，人们都很害怕，”埃索耶夫说。

自2014年以来，胡塞武装一直与也门政府交战。当时，叛军从其山区腹地席卷而来，占领了也门北部和中部的大部分地区以及首都萨那。沙特阿拉伯于次年代表也门政府介入战争。