“Everything we controlled on the western coast has been lost,” an exiled government military official said.
SANAA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 11th Sep, 2026) Yemen’s ruling Houthi group, Ansar Allah, has taken control of the country’s entire Red Sea coastline, an unidentified military official from Yemen’s internationally recognized government told AFP.
The official said, “Everything we controlled on the western coast has been lost.” According to the military official, the Houthis have also seized two more islands in the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
The claim emerged after reports that the Houthi group had taken control of Perim Island, located in the strategically important waterway for global shipping.
Meanwhile, Saudi broadcaster Al Arabiya reported that the Houthis had expelled forces loyal to the exiled government from areas south and west of Taiz province.
Two sources in the exiled Yemeni government told Reuters that Houthi forces had reached the city of Dhu Bab, located on the Bab al-Mandab Strait opposite Mayyun Island.
Another government source told AFP that the militia had deployed troops on Mayyun Island, a strategically important island situated in the middle of the strait.
At the same time, reports of Houthi abuses against civilians in areas of Taiz province and in Al Hudaydah province have increased, as fighting has triggered widespread displacement.
The developments came as the Houthis resumed attacks around Mokha, while forces loyal to the exiled government repositioned themselves along Yemen’s western coast.
Independent sources said the entire Red Sea coastline was now under Houthi control.
