Yemeni Houthi rebels have seized control of Zuqar, Greater Hanish, and Lesser Hanish islands in the Red Sea, alongside the strategic port of Mocha, tightening their grip on critical international shipping lanes near the Bab al-Mandeb strait. According to military sources cited by EFE, the coordinated offensive combines ballistic missile strikes launched from the mainland with amphibious assaults, altering the security balance in one of the world’s most vital maritime choke points.
The Amphibious Assault on the Hanish Archipelago
The operation began when Houthi forces targeted the island of Zuqar with ballistic missiles fired from positions near Al Jauja, roughly 20.5 miles away. Following the bombardment, fighters executed an amphibious landing to capture the 50.2-square-mile territory. Zuqar sits strategically in the southern Red Sea between Yemen and Eritrea, roughly 55.9 miles southwest of Al Hudeida. The island previously fell to the Houthis in late 2014 before a Saudi-led coalition recovered it in 2015, turning it into a staging ground for naval forces loyal to the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Alongside Zuqar, rebel forces secured Greater Hanish, the second-largest island in the volcanic Hanish archipelago at 25.1 square miles, alongside Lesser Hanish. The island chain has a complex geopolitical history, including a territorial dispute between Yemen and Eritrea that led to a 1998 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling favoring Yemeni sovereignty over the primary islands. Today, these volcanic outcroppings serve as commanding overlooks of the southern approaches to the Bab al-Mandeb strait, where the Red Sea narrows before opening into the Gulf of Aden.
Securing Mocha Port and Al Hudeida Province
The island seizures coincided with the capture of the strategic port of Mocha on the Red Sea mainland. Military sources confirmed to EFE that this port takeover occurred just hours after the Houthis finalized their control over the entire Al Hudeida province. By consolidating Mocha and Al Hudeida, the group now exercises territorial command over Yemen’s western seaboard.
According to Infobae, the escalating friction between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia places additional pressure on petroleum shipments navigating the corridor. As noted by PortalPortuario, Italy has emphasized the necessity of preserving freedom of navigation through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb strait to prevent global supply chain disruptions.
Navigating the Strategic Fallout
How do you see international maritime coalitions responding to these shifts in Red Sea territorial control? Share your thoughts below.
