CAIRO — Houthi and Yemeni officials say the Iran-aligned group has taken control of Greater and Lesser Hanish, two islands in the southern Red Sea, in a move that could increase pressure on shipping around the Bab el-Mandeb. The Associated Press reported the claims Monday, while the competing accounts have not been independently verified by AP.

The islands lie about 160 kilometres north of the Bab el-Mandeb, the passage linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean. Their reported capture follows Houthi gains around the port of Mokha and the island of Mayun, according to AP’s account. Yemeni government officials said allied forces withdrew from the archipelago; a Houthi official described the movement as a takeover.

The shipping story is also an oil story. Saudi Arabia uses its East-West Pipeline to move crude from the Gulf to Red Sea terminals, allowing exports to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. AP reported that damage from an attack blamed by Saudi Arabia on drones from Iran-backed militias in Iraq could leave most of the 1,200-kilometre pipeline out of service for three to five weeks, although partial operation may be possible during repairs.

Those claims are developing on several fronts at once. The Houthi advance is reported by officials on both sides of the Yemeni conflict, but battlefield control and the operational effect on commercial shipping still require confirmation. China has called attacks on civilian infrastructure unacceptable and urged restraint, AP reported.

The immediate consequence is not necessarily a closed waterway. It is a higher-risk maritime environment, in which operators must reassess routes, escorts, insurance and cargo timing. Whether the islands become a bargaining position, a launch point or simply another contested symbol will depend on what happens next and on what independent maritime monitoring confirms.

*Reporting note: this article is based on the source record listed above and is current as of 14 September 2026, 14:00 BST. Figures, operational claims and casualty counts may change as authorities update their accounts.*