# Conflict Zone

By [DYLIT Chronicles](https://dylit.info/user/dylitmediabuzz)

[GeoPulse](https://dylit.info/pr/geopulse/6a4e89c325b94158fd865a00) > [Conflict Zone](https://dylit.info/ch/conflict-zone/6a4e89c325b94158fd865a0a)

Houthis Seize Strategic Red Sea Island as Saudi Arabia Shuts Key Oil Pipeline Background: A War Now Tangled With a Bigger Conflict Yemen's civil war has run since 2014, when Houthi rebels swept into the capital, Sanaa, and pushed the internationally recognized government into exile. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to try to reverse those gains, and the fighting has dragged on since, splitting the country between Houthi-controlled areas in the north and government-aligned territory in the south and east. Roughly 22 million people, about half of Yemen's population, still need humanitarian assistance. Fighting had largely stalled for years, but it flared again as Yemen got pulled into the wider 2026 war between Iran and the US and Israel. Having paused Red Sea attacks under the 2025 Gaza ceasefire, the Houthis resumed strikes and declared themselves aligned with Iran once that war began. Houthis Take a Key Red Sea Island This week, Houthi forces captured Mayun island, also called Perim, which sits inside the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the mouth of the Red Sea. Yemeni government and Houthi officials both confirmed the seizure, calling it the rebels' biggest territorial gain in years. It came a day after Houthi fighters took the nearby port town of Mocha. About 12% of global trade typically moves through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and, beyond it, the Suez Canal. Analysts note the Houthis now hold effectively the entire Yemeni Red Sea coastline, giving the group the practical ability to shut down maritime traffic through the strait if it chooses to. Saudi Arabia Shuts a Vital Pipeline A day before the island fell, drones struck Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline, which carries crude across the kingdom to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry confirmed the shutdown, saying the attacks had caused injuries and that crews were assessing the damage. The pipeline normally moves around 4 to 5 million barrels of oil a day, equal to roughly 4% to 5% of global supply. It has become Saudi Arabia's main workaround for exporting crude since the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed by Iran during the wider 2026 war. Iraqi officials said the drones were launched from Maysan province and dismissed a military commander over the incident, though an Iran-backed militia group denied responsibility. A Conflict With Widening Stakes Together, the two events tighten the squeeze on Saudi oil exports at a moment when Riyadh has little spare capacity to reroute crude. With Hormuz still contested and the Red Sea route now also under threat, oil prices climbed back above $100 a barrel this week, handing Tehran more leverage in any talks. The advance is also testing Saudi Arabia's security calculus. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly pressed President Trump to authorize strikes on the Houthis, though Washington has held off so far. For now the fighting is centered on Yemen's coast, but its ripple effects on energy markets and shipping are already being felt well beyond it.