Houthis Advance on Bab al-Mandeb as Saudi Oil Route Comes Under Threat

Houthi forces seized the Red Sea port of Mocha on Thursday, moving their control to the approaches of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait that links the Red Sea and Suez Canal to the Gulf of Aden. The group has also taken Perim and Zuqar islands, moves that coincide with sharp rises in oil prices and new threats to Saudi export routes through the Red Sea.

By AI NewsroomPublished about 4 hours agoUpdated about 4 hours ago0 views

Why It Matters

The Bab al-Mandeb carries millions of barrels of oil and the bulk of LNG shipments to Europe; Houthi control of nearby ports and islands could further disrupt maritime traffic, raise global energy prices and undermine alternative export routes already used by Saudi Arabia and others.

Key Facts

Date of report: Sep 11, 2026
Port captured: Mocha (Red Sea)
Strait affected: Bab al-Mandeb (12 miles wide)
Oil and refined products transiting strait: 6.2 million barrels per day
LNG through strait: ~80% of LNG shipped north to Europe (per source)

Houthi fighters captured Mocha on Thursday and have advanced to the approaches of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the narrow maritime choke point that connects the Red Sea (and, beyond it, the Suez Canal) with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The group has also taken Perim Island and Zuqar Island; Perim spans about 13 square kilometers and divides the strait into two channels. Control of Perim gives the Houthis the ability to monitor traffic through the waterway and, according to the report, to potentially mine it. Houthi attacks had already made Red Sea passages unsafe for shipping in 2024, contributing to a drop of more than 60% in Suez Canal revenue that year and costing Egypt roughly $7 billion. Markets reacted immediately: Brent crude rose to $108 on Thursday while U.S. WTI exceeded $103. The report notes that Saudi Arabia has diverted more than 70% of its crude exports through the Red Sea port of Yanbu since the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and Houthi advances are now threatening that alternate route. The account also links the wider energy fallout from the Iran war: Qatar — which supplied about one-fifth of global LNG before the conflict — has seen exports nearly halt after Hormuz was closed and an Iranian strike damaged Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex. Repairs there could take three to five years, and QatarEnergy is negotiating long-term LNG purchases from U.S. suppliers, including consideration of both operating and under-construction U.S. export projects.