Houthi forces seized Yemen’s Red Sea coast and Perim Island in mid-September 2026, positioning them to interdict traffic through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a key chokepoint handling roughly 12 percent of global trade. This followed their July declaration of a Saudi shipping embargo and a series of attacks on vessels, prompting many operators to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope and cutting Red Sea transits by more than half. A Saudi-backed Yemeni government counteroffensive in early October claimed gains including Dhubab and the island, though Houthi statements dispute full recapture and fighting continues. No authority has formally closed the strait, yet traffic remains sharply reduced and volatile amid disputed territorial control. Upcoming coalition strikes or further Houthi advances could alter effective access for commercial shipping.