The Houthis have captured up to 130 kilometers (81 miles) of Yemen’s strategically vital Red Sea coastline in a rapid offensive that unfolded over days, catching their opponents—the anti-Houthi National Resistance coalition—off guard. The advance, which stunned observers, now includes control of key islands in the Red Sea, most notably Perim, a strategically positioned island at the narrowest point of the Bab al-Mandab strait.
The Houthi gains follow a shift in regional support, with Iran reportedly redirecting assistance to the group after facing setbacks in its broader ‘Axis of Resistance,’ which includes Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Assad regime.